El Buey Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Atacama, Chile)

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Spot Information

El Buey Surf Guide

El Buey in Atacama is an exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Works best in offshore winds from the east. Easily blown out by onshore winds Clean groundswells prevail and the ideal swell direction is from the southwest. The left hand reef break is better than the right.. Best around low tide. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Hazards include rips and rocks.

El Buey Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	18.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Buey:

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

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

februaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing El Buey with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 32% of the time in February while 68% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 0% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

32%

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

blown out

68%

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

too small

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

Explore El Buey Location Map

Interactive El Buey 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 Buey is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI) in Chile, which is 16 km (10 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to El Buey is Coronel Fap Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa (Tacna) Airport (TCQ) in Peru, 49 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 Buey Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 10:00 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	11AM	2PM	5PM	8PM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	15	15	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	glass	glass

Tides at El Buey

Current tide and informaton

For Arica, Chile, 2 km from El Buey.

Next High Water: 11:26am | 1.19m

Next Low Water: 06:26pm | 0.35m

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

El Buey Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 21.0 °C once we account for wind), yet at 18.0 °C the sea remains several degrees colder than the air at El Buey. 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*: 18.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite