Surf Forecasts:
El Estero surf forecast from 31 Aug 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, 9AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,552 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 9AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. We've got a solid run of swell on the cards for El Estero, a river mouth setup that's exposed to the west-northwest. The water's sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, around 86°F, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.
The surf kicks off on Monday, 31st of August, with a clean 4ft SW groundswell wrapping in. The swell period is a decent 13 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 456. With a light cross-off breeze from the NNE at 3 mph, the morning session is looking pretty good. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-on wind, so make the most of the early bird. The next morning, Tuesday the 1st of September, is a repeat performance: a clean 3ft SW swell (12-second period, moderate energy at 389) with an offshore ENE breeze at 6 mph. Again, the arvo shifts to a choppy cross-on.
Wednesday the 2nd of September has a smaller 2ft SW groundswell, but the period lengthens to 18 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 555. Morning conditions are light cross-shore, so it's a bit marginal but still worth a paddle if you're keen. The real standout appears on Thursday the 3rd of September. The morning is glassy with a 2ft SW groundswell (19-second period) and a combined energy of 731. That long period means the waves will have plenty of shape and power, but it might be a bit fat at a river mouth. Still, glassy conditions with a 19-second period are a treat.
Friday the 4th of September is a cracker. Morning brings a clean 5ft SW groundswell (17-second period) and a strong combined energy of 1456. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NE at 6 mph. This is excellent, but at 5ft it's getting on a bit for beginners. Saturday the 5th of September is even better, with a 6ft SW groundswell (16-second period, combined energy 1585) and a clean, offshore ENE breeze at 3 mph. This is a big, powerful swell for experienced surfers only. The mornings are the clear winners all week, with the afternoons consistently getting ruined by onshore or cross-onshore winds.
Sunday the 6th of September keeps the run going with a clean 5ft SW swell (14-second period, 846 energy) and an offshore breeze. After that, it starts to taper off. The mornings of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th of September all offer clean, smaller waves in the 2ft to 4ft range, with cross-offshore or glassy conditions. The best of that bunch is Thursday the 10th of September, with a 4ft SW swell (15-second period) and a combined energy of 941, offering clean conditions with a light cross-offshore. The standouts are definitely the mornings of the 4th, 5th, and 6th of September.
Crowds are often an issue at El Estero, so keep that in mind. The afternoons are a write-off nearly every day, so stick to the early sessions. The surf does fade by the second week, with the 13th and 14th offering only small, clean options in the 2ft to 3ft range. The 15th of September is the last clean morning with a 2ft SW swell and a 16-second period, but it's a shadow of the first week's power.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 71mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Sat afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 451 | 444 | 331 | 301 | 297 | 220 | 246 | 326 | 371 | 296 | 577 | 1099 | 1297 | 1519 | 1314 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | 833 | 676 | 658 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | glassy | off | on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:46PM2.32m | 5:05AM2.52m | 5:25PM2.27m | 5:45AM2.50m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:42AM0.24m | 10:50PM0.24m | 11:21AM0.24m | 11:28PM0.28m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 12 | — | 6 | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 31 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 36 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 451 | 444 | 331 | 301 | 297 | 220 | 71 | 238 | 371 | 144 | 577 | 1099 | 1297 | 1519 | 1314 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | 833 | 676 | 658 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 6 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WNW 9 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 12 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 41 | 155 | 238 | 326 | 144 | 291 | 140 | 133 | 133 | 103 | 89 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 45 | 47 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | WNW 10 | W 9 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 8 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 19 | SW 15 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 10 | S 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 |
| kJ | 5 | 9 | 15 | 84 | 112 | 12 | 246 | 38 | 30 | 296 | 171 | 20 | 26 | 26 | 59 | 22 | 27 | 25 | 13 | 47 | 66 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNE 4 | N 7 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 4 | 52 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 251 | 0 | 10 | 323 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 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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