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Cachagua 86.8

#300 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇨🇱 Chile · Valparaíso · near La Ligua

Works almost every day, no off season.

Works all yearIntermediate
Cachagua, Chile
Photo: sebastian_music · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Surf score86.8 /100
Surfable days100% of the year
Clean days52% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell85% period 11 s+
Typical size1.6 m 5.2 ft median
Water15°C a 4/3 with boots

Best time to surf Cachagua

The best time to surf Cachagua is March, June, August. The season runs Feb to Aug. In August the water sits around 14°C, so pack a 4/3 with boots, and the typical wave is 1.7 m. The nearest airport is KNA (40 km) and the nearest town is La Ligua (24 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan100%37%1.5 m18°C3/2
Feb100%68%1.4 m16°C3/2
Mar100%71%1.6 m16°C3/2
Apr100%62%1.6 m14°C4/3
May100%58%1.6 m14°C4/3
Jun100%73%1.7 m14°C4/3
Jul100%64%1.7 m14°C4/3
Aug100%76%1.7 m14°C4/3
Sep100%39%1.7 m13°C4/3
Oct100%31%1.6 m13°C4/3
Nov100%23%1.6 m15°C4/3
Dec100%29%1.4 m16°C3/2

What is under Cachagua

Eight kilometres out along its swell window the sea floor sits over 41 m.

Depth 8 km out41 m
Depth 4 km out34 m

Measured, not estimated: NOAA ETOPO 2022 global relief at 15 arc-seconds, about 460 m per cell, sampled along this spot’s own swell window. At that scale the survey sees passes and channels; it cannot see a reef ledge, so nothing here is said about how the wave breaks.

Why 86.8

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
25.6
Best days 22.4%
12.1
Clean days 18.4%
18.4
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
0.8
Access 4.1%
3.9

The detail

Faces 245° with 36% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 61% of days. Mean peak period 12.9 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 2.2 m, with a peak period of 15 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 13%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -32.588, -71.448 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€1,120/ month
typically €986 – €1,250
Rent, one bedroom€590
Groceries€235
Eating out€135
Getting around€80
Phone + internet€85
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€2,190/ month
typically €1,930 – €2,450
Somewhere to stay€1,290
Eating out€460
Car, transfers, fuel€295
Data + extras€140
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for Chile (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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Spots nearby

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