Beach
both
Level 4/10

Tortuga Bay

Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador
🌀Strong rips🦈Sharks

Tortuga Bay is a stunning white sand beach accessible via a 45-minute walk from Puerto Ayora. The beach break offers consistent waves in a postcard-perfect setting, with marine iguanas sunbathing on the sand between sessions.

10-Day Forecast
Today5
22
Poor
1.0m@8s
13km/h
Thu6
53
Fair
1.0m@14s
12km/h
Fri7
55
Fair
1.2m@13s
11km/h
Sat8
50
Fair
1.1m@13s
12km/h
Sun9
38
Poor
0.9m@12s
12km/h
Mon10
42
Poor
0.8m@14s
13km/h
Tue11
28
Poor
0.8m@13s
17km/h
Wed12
23
Poor
0.6m@14s
16km/h
Thu13
59
Fair
1.2m@14s
14km/h
Fri14
51
Fair
1.4m@14s
14km/h
5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 12 km/h · PM 12 km/h · High tide at 6am (1.6m)
Swell
1.0m
SSE(157°)
Score: 10/25
Period
8s
Short period / windswell
Score: 2/25
Wind
13km/h
S(171°)
Score: 7/25
Weather
25°C
0.1mm96%
First light 5:34amSunrise 6:04amSunset 6:09pmLast light 6:39pm
Windswell0.3m@2sSecondary0.4mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 7:27–11:37am · droppingStrike window: 1:50–6:39pm · risingIdeal 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
23°
25°
26°
25°
24°
23°
25°
26°
26°
24°
23°
26°
26°
26°
24°
24°
25°
26°
26°
25°
24°
25°
27°
26°
24°
24°
25°
26°
26°
24°
24°
25°
26°
25°
24°
23°
25°
26°
25°
24°
23°
25°
27°
26°
24°
24°
25°
27°
26°
25°
2m1.0
sec
7s
6s
7s
12s
10s
15s
12s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
11s
16s
16s
15s
14s
13s
14s
13s
10s
7s
15s
15s
14s
15s
16s
14s
12s
12s
15s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
swell
windkm/h
9g17
15g33
13g34
14g32
10g28
9g17
12g28
14g32
13g31
9g22
6g11
10g25
14g32
13g30
9g27
8g15
12g29
15g35
14g35
8g23
11g19
12g27
14g34
14g36
10g32
9g18
12g28
15g36
14g36
12g32
15g27
17g36
20g45
18g46
16g43
13g25
17g34
20g43
17g46
14g44
11g25
14g31
17g38
14g40
11g39
12g22
15g30
16g39
15g40
13g38
tidem
6:18am1.6m
12:42pm0.3m
6:51pm1.4m
12:48am0.4m
7:08am1.6m
1:35pm0.3m
7:57pm1.3m
1:53am0.5m
8:10am1.4m
2:46pm0.4m
9:12pm1.3m
3:16am0.6m
9:30am1.4m
4:10pm0.4m
10:30pm1.4m
4:40am0.5m
10:48am1.5m
5:21pm0.3m
5:54am0.4m
11:54am1.6m
6:22pm0.2m
12:46am1.7m
6:53am0.3m
12:55pm1.7m
7:18pm0.1m
1:36am1.8m
7:45am0.2m
1:49pm1.8m
8:05pm0.0m
2:24am1.9m
8:32am0.1m
2:37pm1.9m
8:47pm0.0m
3:06am2.0m
9:16am0.1m
3:21pm1.9m
Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

6:18 am
High tide - 1.62m
12:42 pm
Low tide - 0.29m
6:51 pm
High tide - 1.40m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

22
Poor
Components
Swell Direction12/25
Swell Size10/25
Swell Period2/25
Wind7/25
Raw Score31/100
Adjustments
🌊 Tide+3
💨 Gusty Wind-4
📉 Undersized Swell-8
Adjusted Score22/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score22
🌊 Mostly in the tide window

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
S (180°)
Direction range
165° - 210°
Size range
0.9m - 1.8m
Ideal size
1.5m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
E (90°)
Offshore range
70° - 110°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid to high
Optimal range
0.4m - 1.5m

Water temp

23°C

Wetsuit

Springsuit / 2mm

Difficulty

4/10

Crowd level

2/10

Access: 45min walk from Puerto Ayora. Closes at 5pm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Tortuga Bay?

Tortuga Bay works best on a mid to high 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 Tortuga Bay?

Offshore wind at Tortuga Bay blows from the E (90°). Anything in the 70° to 110° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Tortuga Bay?

Tortuga Bay wants S swell (165° to 210°) between 0.9m and 1.8m, with a period of 14s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Tortuga Bay?

The main season at Tortuga Bay is Apr-Nov. A secondary window runs Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. Best with S swells. Beach closes at 5pm.

How do I get to Tortuga Bay?

Fly into GPS, then allow about 45 minutes by road. 45min walk from Puerto Ayora. Closes at 5pm.

What kind of wave is Tortuga Bay?

Tortuga Bay is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights. Difficulty is rated 4/10.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Nov

Secondary: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

Best with S swells. Beach closes at 5pm.

Getting There

Airport
GPS
Drive time
45 min
Data quality
community

Strike Log

Community Discussion