Point

left

Level 5/10

Rio Chico

Manabi, Ecuador

🪨Rocks🌀Strong rips

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Rio Chico is a left point break at a river mouth south of Manta. The wave lights up with S-SW swells during the dry season, offering quality walls with fewer crowds than the more famous breaks.

Rio Chico surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today19

Poor

0.8mSW@10s

11km/h

0.8m@10s

11km/h

Sun20

Poor

0.8mSW@11s

14km/h

0.8m@11s

14km/h

Mon21

Poor

0.7mSW@15s

19km/h

0.7m@15s

19km/h

Tue22

Poor

0.7mWSW@16s

13km/h

0.7m@16s

13km/h

Wed23

Poor

0.7mWSW@16s

7km/h

0.7m@16s

7km/h

Thu24

Poor

0.6mWSW@15s

14km/h

0.6m@15s

14km/h

Fri25

Poor

0.6mWSW@14s

16km/h

0.6m@14s

16km/h

Sat26

Poor

1.2mWSW@14s

13km/h

1.2m@14s

13km/h

Sun27

Poor

1.1mWSW@14s

12km/h

1.1m@14s

12km/h

Mon28

Poor

0.9mWSW@13s

11km/h

0.9m@13s

11km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 7 km/h · PM 14 km/h · Tide at 8am (1.6m)

Swell

0.8m

SW(216°)

Score: 2/25

Period

10s

Medium period swell

Score: 2/25

Wind

11km/h

SW(236°)

Score: 8/25

Weather

26°C

0.0mm95%

First light 5:43amSunrise 6:13amSunset 6:19pmLast light 6:49pm

Windswell0.1m@1sSecondary0.5mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:43–7:00am · risingStrike window: 9:49am–6:49pm · through lowIdeal tide: 0.4–1.5m

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

25°

27°

26°

24°

26°

27°

26°

25°

26°

24°

25°

26°

27°

25°

24°

25°

26°

25°

24°

27°

26°

25°

26°

27°

26°

25°

26°

27°

26°

24°

25°

26°

25°

26°

27°

26°

2m1.0

sec

10s

11s

15s

16s

15s

14s

13s

swell

windkm/h

8g16

7g17

13g27

15g30

13g27

8g18

11g22

16g32

13g27

17g28

17g31

20g37

21g40

14g32

9g17

10g19

16g30

16g33

12g24

6g17

3g13

9g19

10g24

8g22

7g12

11g23

16g33

19g35

15g36

9g20

13g27

20g39

20g44

14g42

9g17

11g22

16g31

15g35

12g36

10g18

11g22

16g30

14g33

8g33

11g18

10g23

14g29

13g31

8g31

tidem

2:16am0.8m

8:24am1.6m

2:57pm0.7m

9:30pm1.5m

3:30am0.8m

9:50am1.5m

4:18pm0.7m

5:07am0.9m

11:12am1.6m

5:48pm0.7m

6:24am0.8m

12:20pm1.6m

6:42pm0.5m

1:04am1.8m

7:14am0.6m

1:14pm1.8m

7:26pm0.4m

1:45am2.0m

7:53am0.5m

1:53pm1.9m

8:01pm0.3m

2:18am2.1m

8:27am0.3m

2:30pm2.1m

8:37pm0.3m

2:50am2.3m

9:02am0.2m

3:06pm2.2m

9:10pm0.2m

3:23am2.4m

9:34am0.1m

3:45pm2.3m

9:47pm0.1m

3:56am2.4m

10:10am0.0m

4:23pm2.4m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

2:16 am

Low tide - 0.77m

8:24 am

High tide - 1.61m

2:57 pm

Low tide - 0.66m

9:30 pm

High tide - 1.52m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction16/25

Swell Size2/25

Swell Period2/25

Wind8/25

Raw Score28/100

Adjustments

Wind History-1

🌊 Tide+3

💨 Gusty Wind-4

📉 Undersized Swell-11

🚫 Undersized Capmax 30

Adjusted Score15/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score15

🌊 Mostly in the tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to MEC, 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: SSW (202°)
Direction range: 180° - 225°
Size range: 1.2m - 2.4m
Ideal size: 1.7m - 2.1m
Height multiplier: 0.92×
Ideal period: 16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: ESE (112°)
Offshore range: 90° - 135°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid
Optimal range: 0.4m - 1.5m

Water temp

24°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

2/10

Access: Near Puerto Lopez. River mouth location.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Rio Chico?

The Rio Chico profile favors mid tide, ideally between 0.4m and 1.5m on the local tide chart. Compare this preference with the forecast tide and local conditions before choosing a session.

What wind direction is offshore at Rio Chico?

The Rio Chico profile uses wind from ESE (112°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 90° to 135°. Wind speed matters too: light winds outside that range can still produce surfable conditions, while strong offshore winds can make takeoffs difficult.

What swell size and direction work best at Rio Chico?

The Rio Chico scoring profile favors swell from SSW (180° to 225°), a swell-height range of 1.2m to 2.4m, and a reference period of 16s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.