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Spots / Santa Elena

Montañita

Santa Elena · Intermediate Poor
0.8m
1/10
8s 12 km/h
Tomorrow's Forecast
Montañita - surf spot in Santa Elena
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About Montañita

Montañita is the surf capital of Ecuador and one of the most vibrant, bohemian towns on the Pacific coast, located in the Santa Elena province. Its wave is a famous right-hand point break that offers long, consistent rides, ideal for intermediate surfers, and that has drawn an international surf community for decades. Beyond the waves, Montañita is synonymous with parties, music and nightlife, with streets full of restaurants, bars, surf shops and travelers from all over the world. The water is warm all year round, which allows surfing in boardshorts, and its best swell season runs from December to May. Its unique combination of quality waves and festive atmosphere makes it a must-stop of South American surfing. For those seeking good rights, energy and an international scene, Montañita is the heart of Ecuadorian surfing.

Characteristics

Level
Requires basic paddling and pop-up skills. Moderate power.
· 📅 December to May (swell season) ·
Surface
Type of seabed where the waves break.
·
Direction
Direction the wave breaks as seen from the water.

Sports, Services & Access

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-1.8285°, -80.7509° Santa Elena
Maps Waze

Montañita — Santa Elena

Current Conditions

Updated 23/08/2026 18:01

Poor
1/10

Waves

0.8m

7.2s period

Primary Swell

0.5m

8.5s SW

Wind

12 km/h

Gusts 25 km/h SW

Secondary Swell

0.3m

14.6s SW

Temp.

26.4°C

🩳 Boardshorts

UV

0.1

Low

Visibility

8.0 km

Moderate

Sun & Moon

☀️
↑ 06:23
↓ 18:27
🌙
↑ 15:03
↓ 02:44
🌖 Waxing Gibbous

Tide

Falling

Low Tide 18:30 - 0.29m

Today's Tides

Low Tide

05:50

0.54m

High Tide

11:54

1.26m

Low Tide

18:30

0.29m

Weekly Summary

Today

0.8m-0.8m

7s

SW SW SW
11 km/h
🌖

Tomorrow

0.8m-0.8m

9s

SW SW SW
10 km/h
🌖

Tue

0.7m-0.8m

6s

SW SW SW
9 km/h
🌖

Wed

0.7m-0.7m

10s

SW SW SW
7 km/h
🌖

Thu

0.6m-0.8m

12s

SW SW SW
9 km/h
🌕

Fri

0.8m-1.1m

14s

SW SW SW
10 km/h
🌕

Sat

1.1m-1.3m

12s

SW SW SW
11 km/h
🌕

Sun

1.1m-1.3m

11s

SW SW SW
9 km/h
🌕

Mon

1.0m-1.1m

10s

SW SW SW
10 km/h
🌔

Tue

1.0m-1.0m

10s

SW SW SW
10 km/h
🌔

Wed

0.0m-0.0m

10 km/h
🌔

Day Block Forecast

Tides: 05:50 (0.54m) 11:54 (1.26m) 18:30 (0.29m)
Morning Already passed
Midday Already passed
Afternoon Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

220° SW
Period: 9s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 15s
⚡ 25 kJ
At night Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

218° SW
Period: 7s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 15s
⚡ 15 kJ
Tides: 01:00 (1.30m) 06:57 (0.47m) 12:57 (1.36m) 19:25 (0.20m)
Morning Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

224° SW
Period: 10s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 16s
⚡ 31 kJ
Midday Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

221° SW
Period: 11s
16 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 12s
⚡ 38 kJ
Afternoon Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

222° SW
Period: 9s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 11s
⚡ 25 kJ
At night Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

221° SW
Period: 9s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 14s
⚡ 25 kJ
Tides: 01:50 (1.44m) 07:51 (0.38m) 13:45 (1.46m) 20:05 (0.07m)
Morning Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

220° SW
Period: 5s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 12s
⚡ 8 kJ
Midday Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

219° SW
Period: 4s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 11s
⚡ 5 kJ
Afternoon Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

219° SW
Period: 4s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 12s
⚡ 5 kJ
At night Fair

0.8m - 0.8m

222° SW
Period: 7s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 13s
⚡ 15 kJ
Tides: 02:26 (1.57m) 08:30 (0.26m) 14:23 (1.57m) 20:41 (-0.01m)
Morning Fair

0.7m - 0.7m

224° SW
Period: 10s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 13s
⚡ 24 kJ
Midday Poor

0.7m - 0.7m

225° SW
Period: 11s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 12s
⚡ 29 kJ
Afternoon Fair

0.7m - 0.7m

225° SW
Period: 10s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 11s
⚡ 24 kJ
At night Fair

0.7m - 0.7m

225° SW
Period: 10s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 12s
⚡ 24 kJ
Tides: 03:02 (1.72m) 09:05 (0.16m) 15:03 (1.68m) 21:13 (-0.10m)
Morning Fair

0.6m - 0.7m

224° SW
Period: 11s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 18s
⚡ 21 kJ
Midday Poor

0.7m - 0.7m

221° SW
Period: 12s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 10s
⚡ 35 kJ
Afternoon Poor

0.8m - 0.8m

226° SW
Period: 12s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 6s
⚡ 45 kJ
At night Fair

0.7m - 0.8m

226° SW
Period: 13s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 7s
⚡ 41 kJ
Tides: 03:33 (1.81m) 09:38 (0.02m) 15:35 (1.72m) 21:45 (-0.18m)
Morning Fair

0.9m - 0.9m

228° SW
Period: 14s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 6s
⚡ 78 kJ
Midday Poor

0.9m - 1.0m

228° SW
Period: 14s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 6s
⚡ 78 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.0m - 1.0m

229° SW
Period: 14s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 6s
⚡ 96 kJ
At night Fair

0.9m - 1.1m

228° SW
Period: 13s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 4s
⚡ 67 kJ
Tides: 04:03 (1.87m) 10:08 (-0.09m) 16:12 (1.80m) 22:18 (-0.18m)
Morning Good

1.3m - 1.3m

229° SW
Period: 13s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 6s
⚡ 140 kJ
Midday Poor

1.3m - 1.3m

227° SW
Period: 12s
16 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 4s
⚡ 119 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.3m - 1.3m

226° SW
Period: 12s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 5s
⚡ 119 kJ
At night Good

1.2m - 1.3m

228° SW
Period: 12s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 4s
⚡ 102 kJ
Morning Fair

1.3m - 1.3m

226° SW
Period: 11s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 4s
⚡ 100 kJ
Midday Poor

1.3m - 1.3m

225° SW
Period: 11s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 4s
⚡ 100 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.2m - 1.3m

225° SW
Period: 11s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 4s
⚡ 86 kJ
At night Fair

1.2m - 1.3m

226° SW
Period: 11s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 4s
⚡ 86 kJ
Morning Fair

1.0m - 1.0m

225° SW
Period: 10s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 5s
⚡ 49 kJ
Midday Poor

1.1m - 1.1m

223° SW
Period: 10s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 4s
⚡ 59 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.1m - 1.1m

223° SW
Period: 10s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 5s
⚡ 59 kJ
At night Fair

1.1m - 1.1m

224° SW
Period: 10s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 6s
⚡ 59 kJ
Morning Fair

1.0m - 1.0m

221° SW
Period: 10s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 16s
⚡ 49 kJ
Midday Poor

1.0m - 1.0m

220° SW
Period: 10s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 16s
⚡ 49 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.0m - 1.0m

220° SW
Period: 10s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 15s
⚡ 49 kJ
At night Fair

1.0m - 1.0m

221° SW
Period: 10s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 9s
⚡ 49 kJ
Morning Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
9 km/h
Midday Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
14 km/h
Afternoon Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
12 km/h
At night Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
8 km/h

Hourly Forecast

Open-Meteo Copernicus
Showing 6 of 240 hours
Hour Waves Period Swell Dir. Wind Secondary Swell Tertiary Swell Current UV Vis. Tide Rating
Sun 23 Aug 18:00 0.8m 7s 0.4m / 9s SW 13 km/h 0.3m / 15s SW - 0.16 m/s 0.7 7.3 km 0.30m
1
Sun 23 Aug 19:00 0.8m 7s 0.5m / 8s SW 12 km/h 0.3m / 15s SW - - 0.1 8.0 km 0.30m
1
Sun 23 Aug 20:00 0.8m 7s 0.5m / 7s SW 11 km/h 0.3m / 15s SW - - 0.0 7.9 km 0.41m
1
Sun 23 Aug 21:00 0.8m 7s 0.5m / 6s SW 11 km/h 0.3m / 15s SW - - 0.0 9.3 km 0.61m
1
Sun 23 Aug 22:00 0.8m 7s 0.6m / 5s SW 10 km/h 0.3m / 16s SW - - 0.0 10+ km 0.86m
3
Sun 23 Aug 23:00 0.8m 7s 0.5m / 6s SW 11 km/h 0.3m / 16s SW - - 0.0 7.9 km 1.08m
1

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Photos of Montañita

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Surf information for Montañita

Montañita is a Intermediate level surf spot located in Santa Elena, Ecuador. The bottom surface is arena y roca. The best season to surf is December to May (swell season).

Today's conditions at Montañita

Right now, Montañita has waves of about 0.8m with a swell period of 8 seconds and SW (12 km/h) wind. These conditions are updated every 3 hours with the latest forecast.

At Montañita you can practice surf, bodyboard and longboard.

Water temperature and wetsuit

The water at Montañita is around 27 °C, so boardshorts or a rash guard is recommended.

Frequently asked questions about surfing at Montañita

Is the wave at Montañita a left or a right?
The wave at Montañita breaks mainly to the right.
What level do you need to surf at Montañita?
Montañita is a spot recommended for intermediate surfers.
What is the best season to surf at Montañita?
The best season to surf at Montañita is December to May (swell season).
Where is Montañita located?
Montañita is located in Santa Elena, Peru.
What is the water temperature at Montañita?
The water is around 27 °C, so boardshorts or a rash guard is recommended.

Sports, services & how to get there

Sports

surf bodyboard longboard

Other surf spots in Santa Elena

Olón 0.8m
Surf Spots in Santa Elena

Condition Scoring

Rating Algorithm 1-10

Each forecast hour receives a score from 1 to 10, calculated by adding points for different factors:

Wave Height (0-4 pts)

< 0.5m = 0 pts | 0.5-1.0m = 1 pt | 1.0-1.5m = 2 pts | 1.5-2.5m = 3 pts | > 2.5m = 4 pts

Dominant Period (-1 to 3 pts)

Uses the dominant/peak period (wave_period). < 8s = -1 pt (wind swell, messy) | 8-10s = 0 pts | 10-12s = 1 pt | 12-16s = 2 pts | > 16s = 3 pts

Wind (-2 to +2 pts)

Glassy (< 5 km/h): +2. Light wind (5-10 km/h): +1. Moderate wind (10-20 km/h): offshore +1, onshore -1. Strong wind (> 20 km/h): onshore -2, offshore -1. Wind data covers the full 15-day forecast window.

Secondary Swell (-1 to +1 pt)

If a secondary swell with height ≥ 0.3m and long period (≥ 10s) exists, +1 point is added. If the period is short (< 10s) and direction differs > 45° from the primary swell, -1 point penalty for crossed seas. If directions are similar (≤ 45°), no penalty is applied.

Rating by score:

Flat (1) Poor (2-3) Fair (4-5) Good (6-7) Epic (8-10)
View full methodology
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