El Estero Surf Break

Lat Long: 10.32° N 85.84° W

El Estero Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 02 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's El Estero sea temperature is
29.9°C
1.7° 

El Estero surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


El Estero surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,552 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period with SW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Estero this week:

The surf forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at El Estero in the next 16 days are 1.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (CST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Wed 2nd Sep)2.5ft (0.8m) 16s
Best Surf 9PM (Thu 3rd Sep)4ft (1.2m) 18s
Most Powerful 6AM (Sat 5th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get into it. We've got a solid run of surf on the cards for El Estero, with a great mix of clean conditions and some decent, long-period groundswell.

The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 86°F. That's a nice little bonus. This spot is a river mouth, exposed to the west-northwest, and it's a consistent break, so you can usually count on it to have some shape. The best swell direction is from the west-northwest, and for the most part, we're getting exactly that.

The opening session on Wednesday, the 2nd, kicks off with a small but clean 2ft swell from the southwest, with a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is moderate (538), and with a light cross-offshore breeze from the northeast, it's going to be clean. The afternoon choppes up, so forget that.

Thursday the 3rd is a repeat – morning glass with 2ft, period of 19 seconds, and clean conditions. The energy is ramping up to 731, showing there's some good push coming through. The afternoons are blown out, but the mornings are the clear window.

Now, the real standout is shaping up. Friday the 4th morning is where it's at. We’re looking at a 5ft swell from the southwest with a 17-second period, and the energy is a strong 1425. That's some serious juice. The wind is a light offshore from the northeast, so it's going to be clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers – the size is getting up there, so it's not for the groms. Saturday the 5th morning is also firing, with a 6ft southwest swell and a 16-second period, offering a massive 1578 energy reading and a light offshore wind. This is the best of the whole run. The shape at a river mouth with this long period will be great, with those long, waiting sets. Keep in mind the crowds are likely to be heavy here, as it's a consistent spot.

Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th still have good morning windows with 5ft and 4ft swells respectively, and the energy stays in the moderate to high range. The afternoons get messy with onshore winds, so stick to the dawn patrol.

The quality dips a little from Tuesday the 8th through to the 10th, but the mornings are still clean with cross-offshore winds. The swell drops to 2ft to 4ft, and the energy falls back to moderate levels. It's still rideable, just not as punchy.

Friday the 11th morning picks up a little again, with a 4ft southwest swell at 16 seconds and 843 energy. Clean conditions. The pattern holds through the weekend of the 12th and 13th – small, clean mornings, blown out afternoons.

The final week, from the 14th to the 17th, is small but clean. The swell is 2ft to 3ft, but the period stays long, between 15 and 18 seconds, so there will be some fun little lines. The energy is on the lower side, but Tuesday the 15th afternoon looks particularly glassy, with a 3ft swell and glassy conditions. A good chance for a sneaky session.

So, the clear winner this stretch is the Saturday the 5th morning session. That 6ft south-west swell with the light offshore wind and massive energy is the pick of the litter. The Friday the 4th morning is a close second.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 33°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 37mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
0
3
3
0
4
4
2
4
4
1
3
3
0
3
3
1
2
3
2
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.7
SW
18
0.8
SW
16
0.8
SW
16
0.8
SW
16
0.9
SW
19
1.3
SW
18
1.5
SW
17
1.6
SW
17
1.6
SW
16
1.8
SW
16
1.6
SW
16
1.4
SW
15
1.4
SW
14
1.4
SW
14
1.3
SW
14
1.1
SW
14
1.1
SW
14
1
SW
13
0.7
SW
18
0.8
SW
13
0.9
SW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
300
326
371
296
577
1099
1297
1519
1314
1552
1164
868
833
833
658
507
410
342
312
224
367
Wind (km/h)
5
NE
20
SW
5
ESE
10
NE
20
SW
10
E
10
NE
15
SSW
10
E
10
ENE
15
SW
5
E
10
ENE
15
SW
5
E
10
ENE
15
SW
5
ESE
15
NE
20
ENE
15
ENE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross
off
off
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
off
off
High Tide
6:08PM2.19m
6:29AM2.43m
6:56PM2.09m
7:20AM2.33m
7:53PM1.99m
8:20AM2.23m
9:01PM1.92m
9:31AM2.16m
10:19PM1.93m
10:48AM2.16m
11:35PM2.03m
12:00PM2.22m
00:40AM2.19m
Low Tide
12:04PM0.28m
00:10AM0.34m
12:52PM0.35m
00:59AM0.43m
1:47PM0.44m
1:56AM0.53m
2:52PM0.51m
3:07AM0.61m
4:06PM0.53m
4:26AM0.63m
5:19PM0.48m
5:43AM0.56m
6:24PM0.38m
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:33
5:33
5:33
5:33
5:33
5:33
5:33
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:52
5:51
5:51
5:50
5:49
5:49
5:47
 mm
1
1
12
13
7
2
3
Temp °C
31
29
28
33
30
28
31
29
28
29
29
26
30
29
26
31
29
28
34
33
28
Feels °C
32
30
32
36
31
31
33
31
32
32
31
30
33
31
30
34
31
32
34
33
29
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for El Estero:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Estero 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 Estero Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for El Estero provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Estero can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Estero 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 Estero) 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 Estero 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 Estero is 47 km (29 miles) from Nicoya. If you plan a holiday in Guanacaste, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nicoya. Nicoya has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest