Surf Forecasts:
Dominical surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 12s period, SSW swell with 347 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dominical this week:
The surf forecast for Dominical over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Dominical in the next 16 days are 1.1m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dominical over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and I'm looking at what's coming up for Dominical right now. The water's sitting at a temperature that's about average for this time of year, so no need to dig out the steamer unless you want to.
Alright, let's be straight with you. The first week or so is pretty quiet. It's not that there's nothing, but it's definitely not firing. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th mornings are your best early bets, with small, clean waves from the southwest around 2ft, and the swell energy is modest (262 and 207). The wind is glassy, making for some really clean, longboard-friendly lines. The swell period is long, around 10 to 15 seconds, so there's a bit of push in those little bumps. The Thursday morning is the pick of that early bunch, with a touch more size and direction.
Then it gets a bit ordinary. From Thursday afternoon through to the end of the month, it's mostly small, weak, and the wind is often onshore or cross-onshore. The swell energy drops away, and the wave quality is marginal. There's a bit of a gap there where there's not much to get excited about until the end of the month.
The real standout, and the one to circle on your calendar, is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. We've got a nice little south-west swell building to about 3ft, and the energy is ramping up to 595 – that's a solid moderate energy. The wind is glassy from the south-southwest, and the period is a long 17 seconds. This is where Dominical shows its best side: clean, lined-up waves with a bit of push. The only downside is that crowds are possible here, so get in early.
The following week keeps that promise alive. The Monday morning of the 31st of August is also looking very good, with similar 3ft swell from the south-west, glassy conditions, and strong energy (507). The Sunday before that, the 30th, has a bit more size (4ft) but the wind is a touch cross-onshore, so it won't be as clean. The 29th is the one to aim for.
Into the first days of September, the swell starts to ease back but the conditions remain clean. The mornings of the 2nd and 3rd of September have glassy winds and small, long-period groundswell from the southwest, around 2ft to 2ft. It's a good option for a mellow, uncrowded session.
So, in short: the first week is for the patient, the 29th of August is the standout, and early September has clean, small-wave potential. Keep your eyes on that Saturday.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 171 | 132 | 127 | 107 | 111 | 330 | 302 | 239 | 206 | 133 | 100 | 94 | 99 | 87 | 114 | 112 | 108 | 132 | 93 | 66 | 85 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 7:30PM2.25m | 7:49AM2.39m | 8:21PM2.08m | 8:41AM2.24m | 9:22PM1.96m | 9:43AM2.14m | 10:34PM1.91m | 10:53AM2.12m | 11:46PM1.96m | 11:58AM2.17m | 00:44AM2.08m | 12:53PM2.28m | 1:31AM2.23m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:25PM0.56m | 1:32AM0.70m | 2:15PM0.70m | 2:22AM0.86m | 3:13PM0.82m | 3:22AM0.97m | 4:22PM0.87m | 4:34AM1.02m | 5:30PM0.84m | 5:43AM0.98m | 6:29PM0.75m | 6:42AM0.89m | 7:16PM0.63m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 33 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 16 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 88 | 90 | 94 | 107 | 105 | 330 | 302 | 239 | 206 | 133 | 100 | 94 | 65 | 65 | 57 | 50 | 34 | 37 | 93 | 25 | 36 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | WSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 9 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 171 | 132 | 127 | 87 | 111 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 41 | 40 | 79 | 73 | 99 | 63 | 114 | 112 | 108 | 132 | 15 | 66 | 85 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | W 21 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 20 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 3 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 60 | 87 | 61 | 54 | 37 | 36 | 6 | 31 | 19 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 120 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Dominical Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Dominical provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Dominical can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Dominical surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Dominical) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Dominical may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya? If you are looking for accommodation near Dominical, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Golfo de Nicoya, consider staying in San Isidro which is 23 km (14 miles) away. Other places in and around Golfo de Nicoya where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Quepos which is 42 km (26 miles) away, Paraiso, Cartago and Tejar.
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