El Chinchorro Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Atacama, Chile)

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Spot Information

El Chinchorro Surf Guide

El Chinchorro in Atacama is an exposed beach break that usually has waves and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the east northeast. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the best swell direction is from the southwest. The beach breaks peel to the right. Best around high tide. A fairly popluar wave that can sometimes get crowded Surfing here means negotiating dangerous rips.

El Chinchorro Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	consistent	18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Chinchorro:

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

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

februaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing El Chinchorro 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 31% of the time in February while 69% 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

31%

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

blown out

69%

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 Chinchorro Location Map

Interactive El Chinchorro 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 Chinchorro is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI) in Chile, which is 12 km (7 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to El Chinchorro is Coronel Fap Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa (Tacna) Airport (TCQ) in Peru, 45 km (28 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 Chinchorro Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 14:09 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	on	on	on	glass

Tides at El Chinchorro

Current tide and informaton

For Arica, Chile, 3 km from El Chinchorro.

Next High Water: 11:44pm | 0.68m

Next Low Water: 06:26pm | 0.35m

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

El Chinchorro Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 22.0 °C once we account for wind), yet at 18.2 °C the sea remains several degrees colder than the air at El Chinchorro. 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*: 18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite