When to surf in Panama?

When to surf in Panama?

The twelve months side by side: swell, water temperature and what each one is actually like, so you can pick the week that fits.

  • Sunshine hours per day
    0 h
  • Water temperature
    99 – 0 °C
  • Best swell

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Quick summary

  • Overall recommendationAll year except September & OctoberBest all-round conditions
  • Best for beginnersNovember – MayMellow waves, smaller crowds

Surf conditions by month

Pick a month to see the detail

Surf conditions by month
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Surf●●●●●●●○●●●○●●●○●●●○●●●○●●●○●●●○●●○○●●○○●●●○●●●●
Swell
Period
Air temp.
Water temp.
Wetsuit
Learning●●●●●●●●●●●○●●●○●●●○●●○○●●○○●●○○●●○○●●○○●●●○●●●●

January in Panama

Excellent
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Excellent

The full guide to January

February in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Excellent

The full guide to February

March in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Very good

The full guide to March

April in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Very good

The full guide to April

May in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Very good

The full guide to May

June in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Good

The full guide to June

July in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Good

The full guide to July

August in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Good

The full guide to August

September in Panama

Good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Good

The full guide to September

October in Panama

Good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Good

The full guide to October

November in Panama

Very good
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Very good

The full guide to November

December in Panama

Excellent
  • m
  • °
  • h

Learning : Excellent

The full guide to December

Which month for you

Six ways to arrive here, six different answers. Each is computed from the table above: correct a row and the recommendation follows.

I have never surfed

November – May

Pleasant sandbars, and a budget that does not disappear into high season.

I want to progress

November – May

Enough swell to work on, not so much that it picks the spot for you.

I came for the points

All year except September & October

The country's headline breaks at their best.

I want the swell without the crowd

Not rated for this country yet

Nobody has scored these months, which is not the same as no month suiting you.

I am travelling cheap

Not rated for this country yet

Nobody has scored these months, which is not the same as no month suiting you.

I want the warmest water

Not rated for this country yet

Nobody has scored these months, which is not the same as no month suiting you.

Learning: there is a spot in every month of the year

No month is closed to beginners, and the table above does not say otherwise: the Surf row rates the headline breaks, not the sheltered beaches. What the month changes is the size of the waves, and so the choice of spot, not whether you get in the water.

The spots that stay reachable all year

Best region by month

See all regions

    Weather month by month

    A mild climate all year. Average temperature, sunshine and rainfall, month by month.

    Average air temperature

    J: 0°, F: 0°, M: 0°, A: 0°, M: 0°, J: 0°, J: 0°, A: 0°, S: 0°, O: 0°, N: 0°, D: 0°0°0°JFMAMJJASOND

    Sunshine hours per day

    J: 0 h, F: 0 h, M: 0 h, A: 0 h, M: 0 h, J: 0 h, J: 0 h, A: 0 h, S: 0 h, O: 0 h, N: 0 h, D: 0 h0 hJFMAMJJASOND

    Rainy days per month

    J: 0 d, F: 0 d, M: 0 d, A: 0 d, M: 0 d, J: 0 d, J: 0 d, A: 0 d, S: 0 d, O: 0 d, N: 0 d, D: 0 d0 dJFMAMJJASOND

    Where these figures come from

    Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.

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