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Spots / Arequipa

Mollendo

Arequipa, Islay - Mollendo · Beginner Good
1.6m
7/10
12s 4 km/h
Today's Forecast
Mollendo - surf spot in Arequipa
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About Mollendo

Mollendo is the main beach town of the Arequipa region and a classic summer destination in southern Peru. Its waves break over a sand bottom and tend to be gentle, which makes it a good place for beginners when the sea is small, and a fun option for intermediates when a bit more size comes in. The best season runs from April to September, with south swells. Beyond surfing, Mollendo has a strong beach-town identity, with a lively promenade, its historic Forga castle, wide beaches and good tourist infrastructure of lodging and restaurants. In summer it fills with Arequipa families coming down to the coast to escape the cold of the highlands. It is an ideal spot for those who want to combine relaxed surfing with a traditional beach-resort atmosphere, in an area of the country with far less surfer pressure than the beaches of Lima or the north.

Characteristics

Level
Gentle waves, ideal for learning. Low risk.
· 📅 April - September ·
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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-17.0363°, -72.0103° Arequipa
Maps Waze

Mollendo — Arequipa

Current Conditions

Updated 19/10/2026 00:01

Good
7/10

Waves

1.6m

12.0s period

Primary Swell

1.3m

11.9s SW

Wind

4 km/h

Gusts 11 km/h SE

Secondary Swell

0.9m

6.4s SSW

Temp.

22.4°C

🩳 Boardshorts

UV

0.0

Low

Visibility

10+ km

Good

Sun & Moon

☀️
↑ 05:16
↓ 17:48
🌙
↑ 12:13
↓ 00:44
🌗 First Quarter

Neap tides

Tide

Rising

High Tide 02:00 - 0.95m

Best Time to Surf Today

15:00 - 18:00

🌊 1.7m 💨 8 km/h
Epic 8/10 avg.

Today's Tides

High Tide

02:00

0.95m

Low Tide

09:45

0.40m

High Tide

15:10

0.60m

Low Tide

20:00

0.46m

Weekly Summary

Today

1.6m-1.7m

12s

SW SW SW
6 km/h
🌗

Tomorrow

1.6m-1.7m

12s

SW SW SW
8 km/h
🌗

Wed

1.6m-2.3m

12s

SW SW SW
11 km/h
🌖

Thu

2.1m-2.3m

11s

SW SW SW
13 km/h
🌖

Fri

1.6m-2.1m

10s

SW SW SW
14 km/h
🌖

Sat

1.5m-1.6m

9s

SW SW SW
15 km/h
🌖

Sun

1.5m-1.7m

6s

SSW SSW SSW
10 km/h
🌕

Mon

1.6m-1.7m

8s

SSW SSW SSW
6 km/h
🌕

Tue

1.5m-1.5m

7s

SSW SSW SSW
9 km/h
🌕

Wed

0.0m-0.0m

11 km/h
🌔

Thu

0.0m-0.0m

9 km/h
🌔

Day Block Forecast

Tides: 02:00 (0.95m) 09:45 (0.40m) 15:10 (0.60m) 20:00 (0.46m)
Morning Epic

1.6m - 1.6m

228° SW
Period: 12s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 6s
⚡ 181 kJ
Midday Good

1.6m - 1.6m

227° SW
Period: 12s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 7s
⚡ 181 kJ
Afternoon Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

228° SW
Period: 12s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 14s
⚡ 204 kJ
At night Epic

1.6m - 1.7m

227° SW
Period: 12s
3 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 10s
⚡ 181 kJ
Tides: 02:56 (0.95m) 10:18 (0.33m) 16:00 (0.64m) 21:06 (0.44m)
Morning Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

227° SW
Period: 10s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 16s
⚡ 142 kJ
Midday Good

1.7m - 1.7m

227° SW
Period: 10s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 15s
⚡ 142 kJ
Afternoon Good

1.6m - 1.6m

217° SW
Period: 14s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 9s
⚡ 246 kJ
At night Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

227° SW
Period: 12s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 13s
⚡ 204 kJ
Tides: 03:47 (0.96m) 10:50 (0.29m) 16:42 (0.72m) 22:04 (0.42m)
Morning Good

1.8m - 1.9m

220° SW
Period: 12s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 4s
⚡ 229 kJ
Midday Fair

1.9m - 2.0m

221° SW
Period: 12s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 4s
⚡ 255 kJ
Afternoon Good

2.1m - 2.2m

221° SW
Period: 11s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 5s
⚡ 262 kJ
At night Epic

1.9m - 2.3m

220° SW
Period: 12s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 5s
⚡ 255 kJ
Tides: 04:23 (0.99m) 11:10 (0.26m) 17:20 (0.83m) 22:56 (0.42m)
Morning Good

2.2m - 2.2m

224° SW
Period: 10s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 8s
⚡ 238 kJ
Midday Fair

2.2m - 2.2m

221° SW
Period: 11s
17 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 3s
⚡ 288 kJ
Afternoon Fair

2.2m - 2.2m

220° SW
Period: 11s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 3s
⚡ 288 kJ
At night Good

2.2m - 2.3m

223° SW
Period: 11s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 3s
⚡ 288 kJ
Tides: 05:03 (1.02m) 11:37 (0.26m) 17:52 (0.97m) 23:45 (0.41m)
Morning Good

1.9m - 2.0m

217° SW
Period: 10s
14 km/h
⚡ 177 kJ
Midday Fair

1.8m - 1.8m

216° SW
Period: 10s
17 km/h
⚡ 159 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.7m - 1.7m

215° SW
Period: 10s
16 km/h
⚡ 142 kJ
At night Good

1.9m - 2.1m

218° SW
Period: 10s
12 km/h
⚡ 177 kJ
Tides: 05:43 (1.01m) 12:06 (0.25m) 18:24 (1.08m)
Morning Good

1.6m - 1.6m

214° SW
Period: 9s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 10s
⚡ 102 kJ
Midday Poor

1.6m - 1.6m

210° SSW
Period: 9s
20 km/h
⚡ 102 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.6m - 1.6m

206° SSW
Period: 8s
18 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.1m 16s
⚡ 80 kJ
At night Good

1.6m - 1.6m

214° SW
Period: 9s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 9s
⚡ 102 kJ
Morning Good

1.6m - 1.7m

196° SSW
Period: 6s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 11s
⚡ 45 kJ
Midday Fair

1.7m - 1.7m

196° SSW
Period: 6s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 11s
⚡ 51 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.7m - 1.7m

195° SSW
Period: 6s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 11s
⚡ 51 kJ
At night Good

1.6m - 1.7m

193° SSW
Period: 7s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 12s
⚡ 62 kJ
Morning Good

1.6m - 1.6m

208° SSW
Period: 8s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 6s
⚡ 80 kJ
Midday Good

1.6m - 1.6m

193° SSW
Period: 6s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 10s
⚡ 45 kJ
Afternoon Epic

1.6m - 1.6m

194° SSW
Period: 7s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 11s
⚡ 62 kJ
At night Epic

1.6m - 1.7m

209° SSW
Period: 8s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 10s
⚡ 80 kJ
Morning Good

1.5m - 1.5m

198° SSW
Period: 7s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 14s
⚡ 54 kJ
Midday Fair

1.5m - 1.5m

198° SSW
Period: 7s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 13s
⚡ 54 kJ
Afternoon Good

1.5m - 1.5m

198° SSW
Period: 7s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 13s
⚡ 54 kJ
At night Good

1.5m - 1.5m

198° SSW
Period: 7s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 14s
⚡ 54 kJ
Morning Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
13 km/h
Midday Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
15 km/h
Afternoon Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
13 km/h
At night Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
8 km/h
Morning
Midday
Afternoon
At night Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
9 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
Mon 19 Oct 01:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 5 km/h 1.0m / 6s SSW - - 0.0 10+ km 0.93m
6
Mon 19 Oct 02:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 4 km/h 0.9m / 6s SSW - - 0.0 10+ km -
7
Mon 19 Oct 03:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 2 km/h 0.9m / 6s S - - 0.0 2.8 km 0.93m
8
Mon 19 Oct 04:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 1 km/h 0.9m / 6s S - - 0.0 0.4 km 0.86m
8
Mon 19 Oct 05:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 2 km/h 0.9m / 6s S - - 0.0 0.2 km 0.76m
8
Mon 19 Oct 06:00 1.6m 12s 1.3m / 12s SW 4 km/h 0.9m / 6s S - 0.28 m/s 0.2 0.2 km 0.65m
8

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Surf information for Mollendo

Mollendo is a Beginner level surf spot located in Islay, Arequipa, Perú. The bottom surface is arena. The waves break both left and right. The best season to surf is April - September.

Today's conditions at Mollendo

Right now, Mollendo has waves of about 1.6m with a swell period of 12 seconds and SE (4 km/h) wind. These conditions are updated every 3 hours with the latest forecast.

At Mollendo you can practice surf, bodyboard and ocean swimming. The area offers parking, showers, restrooms, restaurants, nearby lodging and lifeguards. You can get there by car or public transport.

Water temperature and wetsuit

The water at Mollendo is around 22 °C, so a 2/2 mm spring suit is recommended.

Frequently asked questions about surfing at Mollendo

Is the wave at Mollendo a left or a right?
Mollendo offers both left and right waves.
What level do you need to surf at Mollendo?
Mollendo is a spot recommended for beginner surfers.
What is the best season to surf at Mollendo?
The best season to surf at Mollendo is April - September.
Where is Mollendo located?
Mollendo is located in Mollendo, Islay, Arequipa, Peru.
How do you get to Mollendo?
You can reach Mollendo by car or public transport.
What is the water temperature at Mollendo?
The water is around 22 °C, so a 2/2 mm spring suit is recommended.

Sports, services & how to get there

Sports

surf bodyboard natacion

Services

estacionamiento duchas banos restaurantes hospedaje salvavidas

Access

auto transporte_publico

Other surf spots in Arequipa

Mejía 1.6m Punta Bombón 1.6m
Surf Spots in Arequipa

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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