El Loa, Chile

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Iquique, is 136 km away. Nearest airport: IQQ (IQQ), 101 km.

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About El Loa

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

The spot faces W (269°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (89°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and March, with about 6 good days in 7; in August, September and October, about 4. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Iquique, is 136 km away. Nearest airport: IQQ (IQQ), 101 km.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 25 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to IQQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL).
See flights MDW → IQQ · Skyscanner from about £435 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 05 from the airport to El Loa.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Iquique, is 136 km away. Nearest airport: IQQ (IQQ), 101 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in El Loa · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in El Loa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Loa on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

El Loa 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 Loa, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	66, good	4 ft11 ssoft	317kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	18°C
Mon 19Oct	67, good	4 ft11 ssoft	384kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore	19°C
Tue 20Oct	65, good	4 ft14 scrumbling	517kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	19°C
Wed 21Oct	25, poor	5 ft11 ssoft	492kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots	18°C
Thu 22Oct	0, too big	6 ft10 smushy	664kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots	18°C
Fri 23Oct	36, fair	5 ft10 ssoft	463kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	19°C
Sat 24Oct	49, good	4 ft6 smushy	92kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	18°C
Sun 25Oct	48, good	5 ft8 smushy	298kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	17°C
Mon 26Oct	48, good	3 ft7 smushy	96kJ	wind from the south-west, 2 knots	18°C
Tue 27Oct	54, good	3 ft13 scrumbling	258kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots	18°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
Fly MDW to IQQ, changing at ATL and SCL, then 2h 05 by road. About 25h 50 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf El Loa
Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 14 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf El Loa
Best 12:00 to 15:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf El Loa
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf El Loa
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to IQQ, changing at ATL and SCL, then 2h 05 by road. About 25h 50 door to door

Rough cost

About £715–£1,410 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 MDW to IQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and SCL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£435–£905
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£60–£100
Food	7 days eating out	£130–£245
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£55–£95
Total		£715–£1,410

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

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