Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego 38.9
#4871 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇦🇷 Argentina · Tierra del Fuego · near Rio Grande
Very consistent, wind is the enemy here, no off season.
Best time to surf Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego
The best time to surf Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego is May, July, September. It rarely works. In July the water sits around 4°C, so pack a 6/5 with boots, gloves and hood, and the typical wave is 1.2 m. The nearest airport is RGA (4 km) and the nearest town is Rio Grande (2 km).
| Month | Surfable | Clean | Size | Water | Suit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89% | 0% | 1.1 m | 10°C | 5/4 |
| Feb | 89% | 0% | 1.1 m | 11°C | 5/4 |
| Mar | 95% | 1% | 1.3 m | 11°C | 5/4 |
| Apr | 88% | 1% | 1.1 m | 9°C | 6/5 |
| May | 85% | 2% | 1.0 m | 7°C | 6/5 |
| Jun | 83% | 2% | 1.0 m | 5°C | 6/5 |
| Jul | 89% | 4% | 1.2 m | 4°C | 6/5 |
| Aug | 89% | 1% | 1.2 m | 3°C | 6/5 |
| Sep | 94% | 3% | 1.1 m | 4°C | 6/5 |
| Oct | 89% | 0% | 1.2 m | 5°C | 6/5 |
| Nov | 96% | 1% | 1.2 m | 8°C | 6/5 |
| Dec | 92% | 0% | 1.1 m | 9°C | 6/5 |
Why 38.9
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.
The detail
Faces 55° with 50% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 54% of days. Mean peak period 7.0 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 1.9 m, with a peak period of 9 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 53%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -53.774, -67.701 (OpenStreetMap).
What it costs to be here
Airport and town on the doorstep, so the local estimate is 15% above the country average. Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for Argentina (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.
Sumba has eight spots in this ranking, the best of them inside the world top 50. A cabin is €11,500. The land it sits on is separate, from €6,500 (€9,950 oceanfront), on an 80-year lease that extends at the end. Water, septic and electricity are another €6,500, and furniture is on top, so a finished cabin lands around €28,000 plus the land, payable in instalments.
Eco Beach City is run by the same people as SurfRanking, so treat this as our own advert, not a recommendation. It is an off-plan property in Indonesia: take your own legal and financial advice before paying anything.
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