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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

Today5

Poor

0.8mSW@9s

10km/h

0.8m@9s

10km/h

Thu6

Fair

0.9mSW@14s

9km/h

0.9m@14s

9km/h

Fri7

Fair

0.8mSW@15s

11km/h

0.8m@15s

11km/h

Sat8

Fair

1.0mSW@15s

13km/h

1.0m@15s

13km/h

Sun9

Good

0.8mSW@14s

9km/h

0.8m@14s

9km/h

Mon10

Poor

0.6mSW@15s

10km/h

0.6m@15s

10km/h

Tue11

Poor

0.6mSW@14s

10km/h

0.6m@14s

10km/h

Wed12

Poor

1.0mSW@7s

9km/h

1.0m@7s

9km/h

Thu13

Fair

0.7mSW@16s

8km/h

0.7m@16s

8km/h

Fri14

Fair

1.2mSW@17s

10km/h

1.2m@17s

10km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 12 km/h · High tide at 9am (2.1m)

Swell

0.8m

SW(217°)

Score: 8/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 4/25

Wind

10km/h

SW(229°)

Score: 9/25

Weather

26°C

0.0mm55%

First light 5:57amSunrise 6:27amSunset 6:30pmLast light 7:00pm

Windswell0.1m@1sSecondary0.4mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:57–6:45am · risingStrike window: 11:27am–7:00pm · 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°

27°

25°

23°

25°

26°

25°

23°

26°

27°

25°

23°

26°

28°

26°

23°

26°

29°

28°

26°

23°

26°

28°

27°

25°

24°

25°

27°

25°

23°

25°

28°

27°

25°

23°

25°

28°

26°

24°

26°

28°

26°

2m1.0

sec

14s

15s

14s

15s

14s

16s

17s

swell

windkm/h

5g12

6g18

11g29

14g35

10g27

6g12

6g16

10g25

15g34

10g25

5g10

4g14

13g31

15g35

12g32

9g17

11g26

15g35

16g38

10g30

6g9

4g17

12g30

14g37

9g34

5g10

6g17

13g31

15g36

12g34

10g19

11g23

13g31

10g35

6g35

3g9

3g17

13g32

15g38

11g36

5g9

3g16

10g31

13g39

11g40

3g9

5g17

12g32

14g37

12g36

tidem

2:49am0.5m

9:05am2.1m

3:27pm0.5m

9:35pm1.9m

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

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

2:49 am

Low tide - 0.46m

9:05 am

High tide - 2.11m

3:27 pm

Low tide - 0.45m

9:35 pm

High tide - 1.89m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction23/25

Swell Size8/25

Swell Period4/25

Wind9/25

Raw Score44/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+1

💨 Gusty Wind-5

📉 Undersized Swell-8

Adjusted Score32/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score32

🌊 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.