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El Tubo, Chile

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

Also within 20 km of Arica

Watch this spot We email you when El Tubo is worth the trip.

Atardecer de verano
Playa Chinchorro. Photo: Sayayinz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About El Tubo

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

The spot faces W (278°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (98°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 135). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arica, 3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 21 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to TCQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM).

    See flights MDW → TCQ · SkyscannerAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to El Tubo.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in AricaAd

    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.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Arica · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Arica · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Tubo 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

El Tubo 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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct554 ft12 ssoft454kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct554 ft10 ssoft349kJ24°C
Wed 21Oct245 ft12 ssoft711kJ25°C
Thu 22Oct146 ft11 smushy628kJ25°C
Fri 23Oct256 ft10 smushy563kJ24°C
Sat 24Oct395 ft9 ssoft320kJ24°C
Sun 25Oct434 ft6 smushy92kJ24°C
Mon 26Oct474 ft7 smushy177kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct414 ft7 smushy118kJ24°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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to TCQ, changing at ATL and LIM, then 1h 05 by road. About 21h 05 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf El Buey

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 6 ft at 12 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Las Machas

    Best 12:00 to 15:00 local time: 6 ft at 10 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Las Machas

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Surf El Toro viejo

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to TCQ, changing at ATL and LIM, then 1h 05 by road. About 21h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 8 spots near Arica each day: El Brazo, El Buey, El Gringo, El Gringo, El Rancio, El Toro viejo, El Tubo, Las Machas.

The trip from Arica, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £830–£1,595 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to TCQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£420–£875
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£60–£100
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£130–£215
Food7 days eating out£130–£245
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£55–£95
Total£830–£1,595

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

Places to eat near Arica

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

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.