El Brazo Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Atacama, Chile)

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Spot Information

El Brazo Surf Guide

El Brazo in Atacama is a sheltered reef break that has pretty consitent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the southeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the southwest. Reef breaks provide lefts and rights. Best around low tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Watch out for rips and rocks.

El Brazo Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	18.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Brazo:

The best conditions reported for surf at El Brazo occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf El Brazo (for consistent clean waves)?

marchBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing El Brazo with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 19% of the time in March while 21% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 60% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

19%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

21%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

60%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore El Brazo Location Map

Interactive El Brazo surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to El Brazo is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI) in Chile, which is 14 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to El Brazo is Coronel Fap Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa (Tacna) Airport (TCQ) in Peru, 48 km (30 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

El Brazo Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 03:11 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	11PM	2AM	5AM	8AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	14	14	13	13
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	glass	glass

What does El Brazo look like?

Latest photos from El Brazo. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Michael Rojas

Tides at El Brazo

Current tide and informaton

For Arica, Chile, 1 km from El Brazo.

Next High Water: 12:05pm | 1.15m

Next Low Water: 05:01am | 0.36m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

El Brazo Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 22.0 °C once we account for wind), yet at 18.1 °C the sea remains several degrees colder than the air at El Brazo. The majority of surfers will need a spring wetsuit though a summer suit or even a shorty may suffice for a short session.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 18.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite