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Level 5/10

Montañita

Santa Elena Province, Ecuador

🪨Rocks👥Crowded🌀Strong rips

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Montañita is South America's legendary surf and party town—a fun left-hand point break in Ecuador that has drawn backpackers, surfers, and adventurers for decades. The wave peels along a rocky point, offering long rides on SW swells that are best during the wet season (December-April). The town itself is infamous for its nightlife and bohemian vibe. Surf by day, party by night—Montañita is South American surf culture distilled.

10-Day Forecast

Thu6

Fair

0.8mSW@14s

9km/h

0.8m@14s

9km/h

Today7

Fair

0.8mSW@14s

10km/h

0.8m@14s

10km/h

Sat8

Fair

0.9mSW@15s

13km/h

0.9m@15s

13km/h

Sun9

Fair

0.7mSW@14s

11km/h

0.7m@14s

11km/h

Mon10

Fair

0.7mSW@15s

10km/h

0.7m@15s

10km/h

Tue11

Fair

0.7mSW@14s

9km/h

0.7m@14s

9km/h

Wed12

Good

0.8mSW@13s

9km/h

0.8m@13s

9km/h

Thu13

Fair

0.7mSW@16s

11km/h

0.7m@16s

11km/h

Fri14

Good

1.2mSW@17s

9km/h

1.2m@17s

9km/h

Sat15

Fair

1.2mSW@16s

10km/h

1.2m@16s

10km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 11 km/h · High tide at 9am (2.0m)

Swell

0.8m

SW(226°)

Score: 8/25

Period

14s

Long period groundswell

Score: 25/25

Wind

9km/h

SW(232°)

Score: 11/25

Weather

26°C

0.0mm46%

First light 5:57amSunrise 6:27amSunset 6:29pmLast light 6:59pm

Windswell0.1m@1sSecondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:57–7:37am · risingStrike window: 12:11–6:59pm · through lowIdeal tide: 0.4–1.6m

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

23°

25°

28°

27°

25°

22°

26°

28°

27°

25°

24°

26°

28°

25°

22°

26°

28°

25°

23°

25°

27°

25°

23°

25°

27°

25°

23°

26°

28°

25°

23°

25°

28°

26°

23°

25°

27°

25°

23°

25°

27°

25°

2m1.0

sec

14s

15s

14s

15s

14s

13s

16s

17s

16s

swell

windkm/h

5g11

5g16

11g28

13g32

9g24

3g5

7g19

9g25

15g35

13g30

12g26

12g28

15g35

16g37

9g28

4g9

10g25

11g28

16g36

9g28

4g7

7g19

14g33

13g36

10g31

4g7

5g17

13g33

14g36

5g32

3g4

4g16

14g34

14g39

10g37

6g12

6g20

14g35

16g41

12g39

7g12

4g16

11g26

12g32

9g34

6g13

5g19

14g32

15g38

11g40

tidem

3:37am0.6m

9:54am2.0m

4:21pm0.5m

10:37pm1.8m

4:37am0.7m

10:54am1.9m

5:28pm0.5m

5:54am0.8m

12:07pm1.9m

6:44pm0.5m

1:14am1.8m

7:15am0.7m

1:25pm1.9m

7:57pm0.4m

2:27am2.0m

8:33am0.6m

2:35pm2.0m

9:02pm0.3m

3:29am2.1m

9:35am0.5m

3:38pm2.1m

9:59pm0.1m

4:22am2.3m

10:30am0.3m

4:32pm2.3m

10:48pm0.0m

5:10am2.4m

11:18am0.2m

5:21pm2.3m

11:35pm0.0m

5:54am2.5m

12:04pm0.2m

6:07pm2.3m

12:19am0.0m

6:35am2.5m

12:47pm0.1m

6:51pm2.3m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

3:37 am

Low tide - 0.57m

9:54 am

High tide - 2.03m

4:21 pm

Low tide - 0.49m

10:37 pm

High tide - 1.82m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Fair

Components

Swell Direction20/25

Swell Size8/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind11/25

Raw Score64/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+1

💨 Gusty Wind-4

Adjusted Score61/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score61

🌊 Partly in the tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to GYE, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SW (220°)
Direction range: 200° - 260°
Size range: 0.8m - 2.5m
Ideal size: 2.0m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: E (90°)
Offshore range: 60° - 120°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid to high
Optimal range: 0.4m - 1.6m

Water temp

24°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

7/10

Access: Easy beach access from town.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Montañita?

Montañita works best on a mid to high tide, ideally between 0.4m and 1.6m on the local tide chart. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Montañita?

Offshore wind at Montañita blows from the E (90°). Anything in the 60° to 120° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Montañita?

Montañita wants SW swell (200° to 260°) between 0.8m and 2.5m, with a period of 14s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Montañita?

The main season at Montañita is Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. A secondary window runs May, Nov. December-April wet season brings best swells. Smaller May-November.