Tortugas
Surf spot · Puerto Rico
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 8 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 s
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SW 11 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- SW 13 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- SW 13 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 110, too small
- Mon 223, poor
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 967, good
- Tue 1063, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft13 s2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east, 14 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, poor | 3 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south-west, 13 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 67, good | 3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | wind from the west, 0 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 63, good | 3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | offshorewind from the south, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:01 +0.0 mLow 06:52 −0.2 mHigh 14:25 +0.3 mLow 21:23 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:20 +0.0 mLow 08:06 −0.1 mHigh 15:21 +0.2 mLow 22:10 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:41 +0.1 mLow 09:30 −0.1 mHigh 16:17 +0.2 mLow 22:52 −0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Tortugas on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
2 places
- Playa Brava 5.8 km away
- The Reef 9.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tortugas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (10°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (190°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Culebra, 7.5 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,030–US$1,880 each
about US$1,030–US$1,880 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to STT, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$281–US$590 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$74–US$121 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$308–US$576 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,030–US$1,880 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Culebra
13 min by car · 43 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About Culebra its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 9h 25m
About 9h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → STT, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → STT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.