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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

Today14

Fair

1.0mSW@17s

12km/h

1.0m@17s

12km/h

Sat15

Fair

1.2mSW@16s

12km/h

1.2m@16s

12km/h

Sun16

Fair

1.1mSW@12s

9km/h

1.1m@12s

9km/h

Mon17

Fair

1.1mSW@13s

11km/h

1.1m@13s

11km/h

Tue18

Fair

0.9mSW@12s

9km/h

0.9m@12s

9km/h

Wed19

Fair

1.6mSW@12s

12km/h

1.6m@12s

12km/h

Thu20

Fair

1.2mSW@12s

10km/h

1.2m@12s

10km/h

Fri21

Poor

0.8mSW@11s

10km/h

0.8m@11s

10km/h

Sat22

Poor

0.6mSW@13s

10km/h

0.6m@13s

10km/h

Sun23

Poor

0.5mSW@14s

10km/h

0.5m@14s

10km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 9 km/h · PM 14 km/h · High tide at 5am (2.5m)

Swell

1.0m

SW(231°)

Score: 10/25

Period

17s

Long period groundswell

Score: 25/25

Wind

12km/h

SW(224°)

Score: 6/25

Weather

27°C

0.0mm91%

First light 5:55amSunrise 6:25amSunset 6:29pmLast light 6:59pm

Windswell0.3m@2sSecondary0.7mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 8:28–10:45am · droppingStrike window: 1:23–3:44pm · risingIdeal 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

24°

26°

28°

26°

24°

27°

30°

28°

25°

23°

26°

28°

27°

25°

24°

25°

23°

26°

27°

26°

25°

24°

25°

27°

26°

25°

23°

25°

28°

27°

25°

24°

26°

28°

26°

23°

25°

28°

26°

24°

25°

28°

26°

2m1.0

sec

17s

16s

12s

13s

12s

11s

13s

14s

swell

windkm/h

9g18

10g24

13g31

16g36

12g29

10g18

7g21

10g28

15g35

16g36

6g11

6g19

12g27

13g34

10g22

7g13

11g23

12g26

13g29

10g26

5g7

3g12

11g29

14g32

12g31

11g22

8g21

13g31

15g37

10g34

10g19

9g22

10g26

11g30

9g32

7g12

6g18

12g28

14g35

11g37

8g12

4g18

12g30

14g35

11g35

8g14

5g18

10g27

14g33

14g36

tidem

5:54am2.5m

12:04pm0.1m

6:07pm2.3m

12:19am0.0m

6:35am2.5m

12:47pm0.1m

6:51pm2.3m

1:00am0.1m

7:16am2.4m

1:29pm0.2m

7:34pm2.2m

1:41am0.2m

7:56am2.3m

2:11pm0.3m

8:18pm2.1m

2:22am0.4m

8:35am2.2m

2:54pm0.4m

9:02pm1.9m

3:03am0.6m

9:17am2.0m

3:40pm0.5m

9:52pm1.8m

3:50am0.7m

10:02am1.9m

4:32pm0.6m

10:50pm1.7m

4:48am0.9m

10:58am1.7m

5:35pm0.7m

6:02am0.9m

12:07pm1.6m

6:48pm0.7m

1:25am1.6m

7:25am0.9m

1:22pm1.6m

7:56pm0.7m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

5:54 am

High tide - 2.45m

12:04 pm

Low tide - 0.15m

6:07 pm

High tide - 2.33m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Fair

Components

Swell Direction17/25

Swell Size10/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind6/25

Raw Score58/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+1

💨 Gusty Wind-5

Adjusted Score54/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score54

🌊 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.