Playa Grande, Peru
Also within 20 km of Huarmey
- Marin Surf spot · 6.5 km from Huarmey
Watch this spot We email you when Playa Grande is worth the trip.
About Playa Grande
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces SW (232°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (52°). 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 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in September, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Huarmey.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.
Book the trip
From Chicago: about 20 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to ATA, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM).
See flights MDW → ATA · Skyscanner from about £365 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 50 from the airport to Playa Grande.
Accommodation.
Nearest beds: Huarmey, 36 km (about 1h 05 by car)Ad
No town with beds to book is nearer Playa Grande: plan on the drive each day you surf.
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.
Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).
See all places to stay in Huarmey, 36 km away (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Huarmey 63 min by car · rooms from £55 a night · 37 places to stay · where Playa Grande stays
Places to stay in Huarmey · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Huarmey · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Huarmey · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Playa Grande on Google Maps · Directions
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 31, too small | 5 ft12 ssoft | 598kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 37, fair | 5 ft12 ssoft | 546kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 27, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft | 435kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 35, too small | 5 ft12 ssoft | 747kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 49, good | 6 ft11 ssoft | 953kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 31, too small | 5 ft11 ssoft | 613kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 17, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft | 332kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 21, too small | 4 ft7 smushy | 160kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 20, too small | 4 ft7 smushy | 170kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 17, too small | 3 ft8 smushy | 124kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 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 OctTravel out
Fly MDW to ATA, changing at ATL and LIM, then 1h 50 by road. About 20h 50 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Playa Grande
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctSurf Playa Grande
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctSurf Playa Grande
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 6 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
- Fri 23 OctSurf Playa Grande
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly MDW to ATA, changing at ATL and LIM, then 1h 50 by road. About 20h 50 door to door
Rough cost
About £800–£1,525 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ATA, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £365–£760 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £60–£100 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £145–£245 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £135–£255 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £60–£100 |
| Total | £800–£1,525 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Places to eat near Huarmey
- Tuquillo Pizza BarPizza · 0.2 km from the centre
- Selva & Mar Restaurant Turístico-HuarmeyPeruvian · 0.7 km from the centre
- BarBaros BARBar and grill · 0.9 km from the centre
- La Barrain the centre
- Restaurant UchukutaPeruvian · in the centre
- Asados TrinyBreakfast and brunch · 0.1 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
Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.