El Gringo Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Atacama, Chile)

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Spot Information

El Gringo Surf Guide

El Gringo in Atacama is an exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Light onshore winds ruin the qulaity Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. A fairly popluar wave that can sometimes get crowded Take care of - Urchins - Rips / undertow - Rocks - Localism.

El Gringo Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	4	fairly consistent	18.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Gringo:

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

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

februaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing El Gringo 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 Gringo Location Map

Interactive El Gringo 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 Gringo is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI) in Chile, which is 15 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to El Gringo 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 Gringo Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 18:14 Local Time

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

What does El Gringo look like?

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

Credit: Website Credit: bodyboarding.cl

Tides at El Gringo

Current tide and informaton

For Arica, Chile, 2 km from El Gringo.

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 Gringo 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 Gringo. 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