Isla Grande, Panama

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 45 km.

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About Isla Grande

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

The spot faces NW (305°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (125°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). 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). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 45 km. Within 5 km we also list 3 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 45 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 Isla Grande.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Portobelo, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ONX (ONX), 45 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Isla Grande · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Isla Grande · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Isla Grande on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Isla Grande does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Isla Grande, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	18, too small	4 ft7 shollow	97kJ	wind from the east, 1 knot, offshore	30°C
Mon 19Oct	10, too small	3 ft6 shollow	46kJ	wind from the north-east, 3 knots	29°C
Tue 20Oct	12, too small	3 ft5 shollow	38kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	10, too small	3 ft6 shollow	41kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	27°C
Thu 22Oct	6, too small	2 ft5 shollow	19kJ	wind from the south-west, 5 knots	29°C
Fri 23Oct	3, too small	1 ft4 shollow	6kJ	wind from the south, 3 knots	30°C
Sat 24Oct	2, too small	1 ft5 shollow	3kJ	wind from the south-west, 4 knots	28°C
Sun 25Oct	2, too small	1 ft5 shollow	3kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	28°C
Mon 26Oct	7, too small	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	29°C
Tue 27Oct	6, too small	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the south-east, 0 knots, offshore	27°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 expert surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to PTY, then 1h 25 by road. About 10h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
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 45 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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Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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