Playa Cavancha Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Tarapaca, Chile)

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Spot Information

Playa Cavancha Surf Guide

Playa Cavancha in Tarapaca is an exposed beach and reef break that has inconsistent surf. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. Offshore winds are from the east. Clean groundswells prevail and the best swell direction is from the west. The reef provides both left and right breaks. Best around low tide. Rarely crowded here. Hazards include rocks and urchins.

Playa Cavancha Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	2	inconsistent	17.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Playa Cavancha:

The best conditions reported for surf at Playa Cavancha occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Playa Cavancha 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 18% of the time in January while 70% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 12% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

18%

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

blown out

70%

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

too small

12%

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

Explore Playa Cavancha Location Map

Interactive Playa Cavancha 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 Cavancha is Diego Aracena International (Iquique) Airport (IQQ) in Chile, which is 34 km (21 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Playa Cavancha is Chacalluta (Arica) Airport (ARI), also in Chile, 210 km (130 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 Cavancha Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 09:02 Local Time

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

What does Playa Cavancha look like?

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

Tides at Playa Cavancha

Current tide and informaton

For Iquique, Chile, 2 km from Playa Cavancha.

Next High Water: 12:13pm | 1.3m

Next Low Water: 07:29pm | 0.52m

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

Playa Cavancha Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 22.0 °C once we account for wind), yet at 17.6 °C the sea remains several degrees colder than the air at Playa Cavancha. 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*: 17.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite