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El Carmen Surf Forecast
/ Golfo de Nicoya (40 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
El Carmen surfForecast / Golfo de Nicoya / Costa Rica
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Sunday 17 May 2026 CSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
El Carmen surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's El Carmen sea temperature is
30.6° C
(Which is 1.6°C warmer than normal for this time of year)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 (May 17) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Carmen in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 20) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 10s period and expected on Saturday (May 23) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 17th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sun 17th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Wed 20th May) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Carmen over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 27°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 30°C on Wed morning, min 28°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | |
132 | 111 | 180 | 151 | 154 | 154 | 111 | 138 | 376 | 206 | 208 | 284 | 226 | 266 | 258 | 169 | 248 | 234 | 153 | 94 | 127 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross | on | glassy | cross-off | on | cross | |
High Tide | 2:55PM2.86m | 3:30AM2.57m | 3:45PM2.87m | 4:21AM2.60m | 4:36PM2.81m | 5:13AM2.58m | 5:28PM2.70m | 6:07AM2.53m | 6:23PM2.55m | 7:04AM2.46m | 7:21PM2.38m | 8:05AM2.39m | 8:24PM2.23m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:19PM-0.06m | 9:30AM0.15m | 10:08PM-0.08m | 10:22AM0.16m | 10:58PM-0.05m | 11:16AM0.22m | 11:50PM0.05m | 12:13PM0.33m | 00:44AM0.18m | 1:14PM0.46m | 1:41AM0.32m | 2:19PM0.56m | 2:41AM0.46m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — |
 | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
— | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | — | |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 34 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 |
 kJ | 132 | 111 | 180 | 151 | 154 | 149 | 101 | 138 | 376 | 206 | 208 | 284 | 226 | 266 | 258 | 169 | 248 | 234 | 80 | 76 | 74 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSW 15 | S 6 | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 35 | 85 | 19 | 41 | 39 | 37 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 84 | 114 | 69 | 33 | 43 | 15 | 24 | 31 | 90 | 153 | 93 | 127 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | W 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SW 11 | SW 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 85 | 2 | 82 | 79 | 70 | 154 | 111 | 109 | 56 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 29 | 16 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 94 | 84 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 143 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 231 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 38 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our El Carmen surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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