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Punta Brava, Panama

Stay in Santa Catalina: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Santa Catalina

Watch this spot We email you when Punta Brava is worth the trip.

About Punta Brava

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

The spot faces SW (226°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (46°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Catalina, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

  1. Accommodation.

    Stay in Santa CatalinaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  2. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Santa Catalina · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Santa Catalina · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Punta Brava on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct674 ft12 scrumbling353kJ28°C
Mon 19Oct644 ft10 scrumbling272kJ28°C
Tue 20Oct523 ft10 scrumbling218kJ28°C
Wed 21Oct463 ft10 scrumbling195kJ27°C
Thu 22Oct463 ft11 scrumbling187kJ27°C
Fri 23Oct704 ft11 scrumbling298kJ28°C
Sat 24Oct534 ft11 scrumbling267kJ28°C
Sun 25Oct473 ft9 ssoft116kJ27°C
Mon 26Oct563 ft9 ssoft130kJ30°C
Tue 27Oct343 ft8 smushy72kJ27°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    No way there we can work out.

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Estero Beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Punta Brava

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Punta Brava

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Punta Brava

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Punta Brava

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    No way there we can work out.

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Santa Catalina each day: Estero Beach, Punta Brava, Punta Roca, San Pedrillo, Santa Catalina.

The trip from Santa Catalina, with every spot near it

Places to eat near Santa Catalina

  • Tiki Lodge Bar and RestaurantLatin american · 0.3 km from the centre
  • El Chillinguito0.2 km from the centre
  • Restaurante Los Pibes0.5 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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