EL Playon, Panama

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 46 km.

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About EL Playon

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NE (50°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (230°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually July, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 46 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 10 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PTY, direct.
See flights ORD → PTY · Skyscanner from about £265 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 25 from the airport to EL Playon.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 46 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in EL Playon · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in EL Playon · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

EL Playon on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

EL Playon does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at EL Playon, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	58, good	4 ft6 smushy	130kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots	30°C
Mon 19Oct	43, fair	3 ft6 smushy	54kJ	wind from the north, 1 knot	29°C
Tue 20Oct	43, fair	3 ft6 smushy	44kJ	wind from the north, 3 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	43, fair	3 ft6 smushy	47kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore	28°C
Thu 22Oct	28, too small	2 ft5 smushy	20kJ	wind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore	29°C
Fri 23Oct	19, too small	1 ft5 smushy	8kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore	29°C
Sat 24Oct	13, too small	1 ft5 shollow	5kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore	29°C
Sun 25Oct	14, too small	1 ft6 shollow	12kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots	28°C
Mon 26Oct	20, too small	2 ft4 smushy	9kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots	28°C
Tue 27Oct	16, too small	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore	29°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to PTY, then 1h 25 by road. About 10h 40 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf EL Playon
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf EL Playon
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to PTY, then 1h 25 by road. About 10h 40 door to door

Rough cost

About £535–£1,040 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£265–£550
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£55–£95
Food	7 days eating out	£125–£235
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£55–£95
Total		£535–£1,040

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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