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

Today3

Poor

1.1mWSW@15s

12km/h

1.1m@15s

12km/h

Wed4

Poor

1.0mSW@13s

7km/h

1.0m@13s

7km/h

Thu5

Fair

1.1mSW@15s

6km/h

1.1m@15s

6km/h

Fri6

Poor

1.0mSW@14s

6km/h

1.0m@14s

6km/h

Sat7

Poor

0.8mSW@14s

9km/h

0.8m@14s

9km/h

Sun8

Poor

1.0mSW@16s

8km/h

1.0m@16s

8km/h

Mon9

Poor

0.9mSW@15s

7km/h

0.9m@15s

7km/h

Tue10

Poor

0.7mSW@14s

8km/h

0.7m@14s

8km/h

Wed11

Poor

0.7mSW@15s

8km/h

0.7m@15s

8km/h

Thu12

Poor

0.9mSW@16s

8km/h

0.9m@16s

8km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 7 km/h · PM 13 km/h · Tide at 10am (1.7m)

Swell

1.1m

WSW(238°)

Score: 5/25

Period

15s

Groundswell

Score: 23/25

Wind

12km/h

SW(218°)

Score: 7/25

Weather

27°C

0.3mm56%

First light 5:31amSunrise 6:01amSunset 6:11pmLast light 6:41pm

Windswell

0.2m@2s

Secondary

0.6m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.1m @15s WSW outside window

Wind12 km/h SW onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:31–8:48am · risingStrike window: 11:38am–6:41pm · 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

24°

27°

28°

26°

25°

27°

26°

27°

26°

25°

26°

27°

26°

24°

26°

25°

27°

28°

26°

25°

28°

29°

28°

27°

25°

28°

27°

25°

27°

25°

26°

28°

27°

25°

26°

27°

28°

27°

2m1.0

sec

15s

13s

15s

14s

16s

15s

14s

15s

16s

swell

windkm/h

7g14

8g20

14g30

13g26

14g32

1g3

6g16

8g21

11g23

4g19

3g4

4g13

7g17

6g21

3g17

4g8

4g16

10g29

5g15

2g9

8g13

9g19

11g30

10g30

5g23

5g9

3g14

11g28

12g30

4g24

5g9

5g15

7g27

11g32

6g30

6g16

8g22

9g27

8g28

7g26

5g16

4g21

11g27

10g30

6g29

7g16

4g22

12g30

12g33

7g32

tidem

4:07am0.5m

10:14am1.7m

4:25pm0.4m

5:22am0.4m

11:30am1.7m

5:40pm0.4m

6:24am0.2m

12:33pm1.8m

6:39pm0.3m

12:49am2.0m

7:12am0.1m

1:27pm1.9m

7:27pm0.3m

1:35am2.1m

7:56am0.0m

2:11pm2.0m

8:12pm0.2m

2:15am2.1m

8:32am0.0m

2:50pm2.1m

8:52pm0.3m

2:54am2.1m

9:10am0.0m

3:30pm2.1m

9:30pm0.3m

3:32am2.1m

9:46am0.0m

4:06pm2.1m

10:05pm0.3m

4:06am2.1m

10:20am0.1m

4:40pm2.1m

4:40am2.0m

10:55am0.1m

5:18pm2.0m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

4:07 am

Low · 0.48m

10:14 am

High · 1.66m

4:25 pm

Low · 0.43m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction8/25

Swell Size5/25

Swell Period23/25

Wind7/25

Raw Score43/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+3

💨 Gusty Wind-4

🚫 Undersized Capmax 64

Adjusted Score42/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score42

🌊 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

Loading map...

Swell1.1m @15s WSW outside window

Wind12 km/h SW onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

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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 kind of wave is Rio Chico?

Rio Chico is a point break in Manabi, Ecuador, that mostly breaks left.

What swell works best at Rio Chico?

Rio Chico picks up swell from the S round to the SW, and it's best when it's coming straight out of the SSW. That's a tight window, so it needs the swell direction to line up. It starts working at around 1.2m and handles up to about 2.4m, with the sweet spot around 1.7 to 2.1m. Period matters too: aim for 16s or longer, as anything under 12s tends to be weak. These are the numbers our scoring uses, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

What wind is offshore at Rio Chico?

An ESE wind is dead offshore at Rio Chico, and anything from the E round to the SE keeps it clean. The morning is typically the best window, roughly 6am to 11am. Light winds from other directions can still be fine; strong offshores can make it hard to get into waves.

What tide is best at Rio Chico?

Rio Chico is at its best around mid tide, roughly 0.4m to 1.5m on the local chart.

When is the best time of year to surf Rio Chico?

The most reliable run of swell at Rio Chico comes Apr to Nov. There's a second window in Dec to Mar too. Best with S-SW swells April-November.

How cold is the water at Rio Chico?

The water at Rio Chico averages around 24°C, so boardshorts or a rashguard will do. It shifts a few degrees through the year, so check the season before you pack.

Is Rio Chico good for beginners?

It's more of an intermediate wave, rated 5/10 for difficulty, so newer surfers are best off sticking to the smaller days. The lineup is usually quiet (crowd 2/10). River mouth currents. Rocky sections.

How do I get to Rio Chico?

The nearest airport on our list is MEC, then it's roughly a 1.5-hour drive. Near Puerto Lopez. River mouth location.

What other surf spots are near Rio Chico?

The closest breaks we track are Puerto Cayo (2.6 km), Las Tunas (36 km) and Ayampe (39 km), handy when Rio Chico isn't working. We track 7 spots around Manabi in total.