Strike Mission
Big Wave
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Level 10/10

El Buey

Arica, Chile
😮‍💨Hold-downs🦈Sharks🏝️Remote

El Buey ("The Bull") is a tow-in big wave reef near El Gringo that comes alive when massive SW swells hit Arica. The wave can produce 40-foot faces, making it one of South America's premier big wave venues.

3-Day Forecast
Today
30
14
Poor
1.8m
@15s
9km/h
Tue
31
15
Poor
1.5m
@15s
8km/h
Wed
1
30
Poor
3.1m
@18s
8km/h
+7
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View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Swell
1.8m
SSW(203°)
Score: 1/25
Period
15s
Long period groundswell
Score: 4/25
Wind
9km/h
SSE(157°)
Score: 12/25
Weather
21°C
0.0mm29%
Windswell Component
0.1mWSW@1s
Secondary Swell
0.2mWNW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 2 km/h ENE|PM: 11 km/h SSW
2 km/h vs 11 km/h afternoon

Location & Conditions

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0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
View in OpenStreetMap
Showing forecast for today

Tide Times

2:06 am
Low tide - -0.35m
8:07 am
High tide - 0.39m
1:50 pm
Low tide - -0.23m
8:02 pm
High tide - 0.67m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

14
Poor
Components
Swell Direction12/25
Swell Size1/25
Swell Period4/25
Wind12/25
Raw Score29/100
Adjustments
⚠️ Weak Component-5
📉 Undersized Swell-10
🚫 Undersized Capmax 15
Adjusted Score14/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score14

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SW (225°)
Direction range
200° - 250°
Size range
4.5m - 12m
Ideal size
8.4m
Height multiplier
1.08×
Ideal period
20s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (45°)
Offshore range
20° - 70°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
all
Optimal range
0.5m - 2m

Water temp

18°C

Wetsuit

3/2mm fullsuit

Difficulty

10/10

Crowd level

1/10

Access: Near El Gringo. Tow-in only on big days.

Best Season

Peak: May-Sep

Secondary: Apr, Oct

Big wave spot. Tow-in territory.

Getting There

Airport
ARI
Drive time
15 min
Data quality
community

Nearby Spots

El Brazo

Arica, Chile
246m
Reef
Lvl 5/10

💪 The Arm • Reef/sand hybrid • Versatile waves

Arenillas Negras

Arica, Chile
914m
Reef
Lvl 6/10

🖤 Black sand reef • Quality walls • Less intense

El Gringo

Arica, Chile
1.1km
Reef
Lvl 6/10

🇨🇱 Chilean Pipeline • Helmet required • Slab of death

La Brava

Arica, Chile
1.1km
Reef
Lvl 7/10

🌊 Wild one • Arica reef • Less intense option

El Laucho

Arica, Chile
1.7km
Beach
Lvl 3/10

🏖️ Arica mellow option • Beginner-friendly • Warm-up spot

Playa Chinchorro

Arica, Chile
1.8km
Beach
Lvl 4/10

🏜️ Desert beach break • Consistent waves • Northern Chile gateway

Strike Log

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