Point

left

Level 5/10

Rio Chico

Manabi, Ecuador

🪨Rocks🌀Strong rips

YouTubeWatch on YouTube CustomizeCustomize this spot

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.

10-Day Forecast

Today5

Poor

0.7mSW@10s

14km/h

0.7m@10s

14km/h

Thu6

Poor

0.8mSW@14s

14km/h

0.8m@14s

14km/h

Fri7

Poor

0.8mSW@14s

14km/h

0.8m@14s

14km/h

Sat8

Poor

1.0mSW@15s

21km/h

1.0m@15s

21km/h

Sun9

Poor

0.8mSW@14s

14km/h

0.8m@14s

14km/h

Mon10

Poor

0.7mSW@15s

15km/h

0.7m@15s

15km/h

Tue11

Poor

0.7mSW@14s

19km/h

0.7m@14s

19km/h

Wed12

Poor

0.8mSW@12s

15km/h

0.8m@12s

15km/h

Thu13

Poor

0.6mSW@15s

12km/h

0.6m@15s

12km/h

Fri14

Poor

1.2mSW@17s

14km/h

1.2m@17s

14km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 13 km/h · PM 13 km/h · Tide at 7am (2.2m)

Swell

0.7m

SW(217°)

Score: 2/25

Period

10s

Medium period swell

Score: 2/25

Wind

14km/h

SW(225°)

Score: 3/25

Weather

26°C

0.0mm55%

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

Windswell0.2m@2sSecondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 10:13am–5:42pm · 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°

25°

27°

25°

24°

25°

26°

25°

24°

27°

25°

24°

26°

28°

26°

24°

26°

28°

27°

25°

24°

26°

27°

25°

23°

25°

27°

25°

24°

25°

27°

26°

25°

24°

25°

27°

26°

25°

26°

27°

25°

2m1.0

sec

10s

14s

15s

14s

15s

14s

12s

15s

17s

swell

windkm/h

14g26

11g24

15g32

14g32

12g31

11g21

12g23

16g33

16g37

15g31

6g12

4g15

21g42

20g39

18g37

15g28

19g36

23g46

25g49

19g40

7g14

13g27

18g40

16g41

12g35

11g19

12g24

16g34

18g37

16g28

18g33

22g41

20g44

16g44

10g26

11g30

18g36

18g40

15g40

5g16

9g22

17g35

16g40

9g39

9g15

11g21

16g32

16g36

15g36

tidem

1:12am0.4m

7:27am2.2m

1:50pm0.4m

7:58pm2.0m

2:00am0.5m

8:15am2.1m

2:43pm0.5m

8:58pm1.9m

2:58am0.7m

9:15am2.0m

3:48pm0.5m

10:11pm1.9m

4:12am0.8m

10:30am2.0m

5:06pm0.5m

5:37am0.8m

11:47am2.0m

6:23pm0.4m

12:46am2.0m

6:53am0.6m

12:55pm2.1m

7:24pm0.3m

1:49am2.2m

7:56am0.5m

2:00pm2.3m

8:20pm0.1m

2:43am2.4m

8:49am0.3m

2:54pm2.4m

9:10pm0.1m

3:32am2.6m

9:38am0.3m

3:44pm2.5m

9:56pm0.0m

4:15am2.6m

10:24am0.2m

4:30pm2.5m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

1:12 am

Low tide - 0.43m

7:27 am

High tide - 2.21m

1:50 pm

Low tide - 0.41m

7:58 pm

High tide - 1.97m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction15/25

Swell Size2/25

Swell Period2/25

Wind3/25

Raw Score22/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide-2

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-5

📉 Undersized Swell-11

🚫 Undersized Capmax 30

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

🌊 Too high for this tide window

Plan Your Strike

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

Search Flights on Skyscanner

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Free Strike Report

Know when South America is about to fire

Get the best strike windows in South America — and worldwide — in your inbox every Monday & Thursday. Live Strike Scores, the swell behind them, zero fluff.

¿Prefieres español? Recibe el Strike Report en español, gratis →

For real surf travel

Get the full Rio Chico trip window

Pro unlocks the 10-day forecast window, unlimited alerts, and custom spot tracking that help turn a good-looking surf report into a better travel decision.

See Pro Pricing Start Free

10-day window

See the trip window before flights get expensive.

Unlimited alerts

Let the app watch your score threshold for you.

Custom spots

Track the breaks that actually matter to your travel plans.

Spot Details

CustomizeCustomize this spot

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SSW (202°)
Direction range: 180° - 225°
Size range: 1.2m - 2.4m
Ideal size: 2.0m
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?

Rio Chico works best on a mid tide, ideally between 0.4m and 1.5m on the local tide chart. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Rio Chico?

Offshore wind at Rio Chico blows from the ESE (112°). Anything in the 90° to 135° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.