Surf Forecasts:
El Carmen surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period, SW swell with 788 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Carmen this week:
The surf forecast for El Carmen over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Carmen in the next 16 days are 1.3m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 8s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Carmen over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down what El Carmen is cooking up over the next couple weeks.
We’ve got a stretch of small, clean surf coming through for the start of the week. Best sessions are when the wind goes dead calm and the tide is right. Water temp is a warm 87°, running much warmer than normal for this time of year – so leave the thick rubber at home.
The absolute pick of the outlook is Tuesday morning, August 18th. Hit El Carmen (beach and reef) first thing. Swell is tiny at 3ft from the SW, but it’s glassy, glassy, glassy. Combined swell energy is a solid moderate 500. Northeast offshore wind is keeping it looking like a lake. Perfect for beginners and longboarders – this is the session to aim for.
Monday morning, August 17th is another good one. Slightly bigger at 4ft from the SW, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNW keeping the surface clean. Energy is a bit lower at 428, but those 14-second period SW lines will give you some glide. This spot is consistent, so you won’t be sitting there with your leash wrapped around your ankle.
Later in the month, Tuesday morning, August 25th and Wednesday morning, August 26th both offer those tiny, glassy morning windows again with 2ft SW groundswell. Energy drops to 204 and then 140, so it’s small, but if a glassy day on a mini-mal is your thing, it’s on.
The last few days of the outlook pick up a bit more juice. Friday morning, August 28th has 2ft SW groundswell with energy climbing to 416, and Saturday morning, August 29th pushes that energy to a solid 561 at 3ft from the SW with clean cross-offshore winds. Long-range call, so not locked in, but worth keeping an eye on.
Rule of thumb for this spot: mornings are gold. Afternoons get messy with onshore breezes and storms, so grab your coffee and your board early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 897 | 853 | 606 | 606 | 528 | 428 | 428 | 410 | 317 | 327 | 406 | 309 | 251 | 238 | 158 | 176 | 83 | 55 | 56 | 129 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:38PM2.65m | 5:04AM2.77m | 5:22PM2.55m | 5:45AM2.68m | 6:05PM2.41m | 6:26AM2.55m | 6:48PM2.25m | 7:08AM2.39m | 7:34PM2.08m | 7:54AM2.23m | 8:24PM1.93m | 8:45AM2.09m | 9:25PM1.81m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:48PM0.06m | 11:17AM0.17m | 11:29PM0.17m | 12:01PM0.26m | 00:11AM0.31m | 12:44PM0.38m | 00:52AM0.48m | 1:30PM0.52m | 1:36AM0.64m | 2:20PM0.65m | 2:26AM0.78m | 3:18PM0.75m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
mm | 7 | 8 | — | 4 | 14 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 6 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 14 | S 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
| kJ | 897 | 853 | 606 | 606 | 528 | 191 | 163 | 138 | 183 | 172 | 115 | 131 | 251 | 144 | 158 | 176 | 281 | 297 | 291 | 274 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | W 7 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 177 | 270 | 73 | 97 | 128 | 428 | 428 | 410 | 317 | 327 | 406 | 309 | 1 | 238 | 142 | 140 | 26 | 15 | 15 | 129 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 21 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 6 |
| kJ | — | 63 | 59 | 58 | 37 | 21 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 24 | 83 | 55 | 56 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 187 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 13 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 19 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the El Carmen Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for El Carmen provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Carmen can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Carmen 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 (El Carmen) 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 El Carmen 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.
El Carmen is 51 km (32 miles) from Puntarenas. If you plan a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya, look for hotels and other accommodation in Puntarenas. Puntarenas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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