Playa Brava Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Tarapaca, Chile)

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- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Playa Brava Surf Guide

Playa Brava in Tarapaca is an exposed beach break that has consistent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Offshore winds are from the east northeast. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the best swell direction is from the south southwest. The beach breaks favour rights. It very rarely gets crowded here. Take care of the strong rips here.

Playa Brava Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	2	consistent	16.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Playa Brava:

The best conditions reported for surf at Playa Brava occur when a South-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 Playa Brava (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Playa Brava with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 17% of the time in January while 59% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 24% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

17%

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

blown out

59%

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

too small

24%

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

Explore Playa Brava Location Map

Interactive Playa Brava 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 Playa Brava is Diego Aracena International (Iquique) Airport (IQQ) in Chile, which is 32 km (20 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Playa Brava is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI), also in Chile, 212 km (132 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.

Playa Brava Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 26 May 2026, 14:17 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 26
ft, °F	11AM	2PM	5PM	8PM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	12	12	12	12
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	on	cross- on	glass

What does Playa Brava look like?

Latest photos from Playa Brava. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Jorge Pizarro

Tides at Playa Brava

Current tide and informaton

For Iquique, Chile, 5 km from Playa Brava.

Next High Water: 05:58pm | 1.1m

Next Low Water: 12:21am | 0.35m

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

Playa Brava Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feels like 20.0 °C) at Playa Brava, yet the sea remains several degrees colder than the air. Most 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*: 16.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite