Surf Forecasts:
El Estero surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, SSW swell with 366 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 15s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m 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 1.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 11s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for El Estero over the next couple of weeks. The outlook starts from Friday the 21st of August, but it’s a bit of a slow burner to begin with. The first few days are pretty average, with tiny, messy swells and less-than-ideal winds. We’ve got a long period of 15 seconds on the Friday morning, but with only 1ft of swell and cross-off winds, it’s not doing us any favours. Saturday the 22nd afternoon will be the first time you even want to look at the water – the wind goes glassy and the swell bumps up to 2ft from the SW (256 combined swell energy), but that’s still small wave territory. Sunday and Monday show some promise with cleaner conditions, but the swell is still tiny. The real story starts to build later in the week.
The standout window is from Saturday the 29th of August right through into the following week. Saturday morning the 29th sees a nice 5ft SW groundswell with a solid 16-second period and cross-offshore winds. That’s proper, clean surf for experienced surfers (1198 combined swell energy). Saturday afternoon gets even better – 6ft SW and clean light winds (1497 combined swell energy). This is the best on offer if you’re an experienced hand. Early September also looks strong. Friday the 4th of September morning is a gem – 4ft of SW swell, 17-second period, and absolutely glassy conditions (1107 combined swell energy). That’s as perfect as it gets for a river break like this. If you can only pick one day, that Friday morning is the one to circle on the calendar. Just be aware that as a river mouth, these long-period groundswells can jack up and close out quickly if the tide is wrong, but the wind is going to be off the chart.
Crowds are likely here, so expect company. This stretch from late August into early September is the highlight. Before that, it’s small, scratchy, and not worth rushing for. After the 5th of September, it starts to look a bit average again with onshore winds creeping back in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 83 | 76 | 75 | 100 | 95 | 155 | 97 | 184 | 260 | 330 | 255 | 305 | 322 | 211 | 206 | 191 | 110 | 107 | 125 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 8:42AM2.01m | 9:18PM1.72m | 9:42AM1.92m | 10:27PM1.68m | 10:48AM1.90m | 11:37PM1.71m | 11:52AM1.94m | 00:37AM1.80m | 12:47PM2.02m | 1:25AM1.94m | 1:34PM2.12m | 2:06AM2.09m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:20AM0.72m | 3:14PM0.71m | 3:18AM0.82m | 4:20PM0.75m | 4:26AM0.86m | 5:27PM0.73m | 5:34AM0.84m | 6:25PM0.66m | 6:34AM0.77m | 7:13PM0.57m | 7:24AM0.67m | 7:54PM0.47m | |||||||
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 5 | 4 |
Temp °C | 28 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 30 | 35 | 33 | 31 | 35 | 36 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 33 | 33 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 35 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 |
| kJ | 281 | 286 | 297 | 284 | 223 | 194 | 153 | 109 | 106 | 109 | 106 | 104 | 322 | 211 | 206 | 191 | 46 | 62 | 125 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 83 | 76 | 75 | 100 | 95 | 155 | 84 | 116 | 260 | 330 | 255 | 305 | 78 | 56 | 54 | 46 | 110 | 107 | 74 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 17 | N 5 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | N 5 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 20 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 36 | 36 | 36 | 74 | 4 | 98 | 97 | 184 | 84 | 75 | 71 | 69 | 13 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 37 | 56 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNW 3 | — | — | WSW 6 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | N 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 4 | N 3 | N 5 | NNE 5 | — | N 5 | NNE 5 | N 5 | NNE 5 |
| kJ | 14 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 5 | — | 17 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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