
Surf Forecasts:
El Estero surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 19s period, SW swell with 817 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s 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 07) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 17s period. 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 1.1m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) 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 0.9m 7s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what the next couple of weeks are looking like.
The first real surf kicks off on Friday morning, August 7th, but it’s a slow start. We’ve got a long-period groundswell from the SSW, with an 18-second period, but it’s small at 2 ft. The combined energy is moderate (377). The water is sitting at 86°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The morning has a moderate cross-offshore breeze from the ENE, so it’ll be clean but a bit breezy. The afternoon cleans right up with a light ESE breeze, still cross-off, and the swell nudges up to 2 ft. It’s not a standout, but it’s a fun little session.
Saturday, August 8th is where we start to get excited. The morning is clean with a solid offshore breeze from the ENE at 15 mph, and the swell builds to 3 ft from the SSW with a 16-second period. The energy is solid (580). Then the afternoon goes glassy – zero wind, from the south, and the swell hits 3 ft from the SW. Clean, lined up, and very user-friendly. This is one of the best windows in the whole outlook.
Sunday morning, August 9th, keeps the offshore wind and 3 ft swell, but the period drops to 14 seconds. The afternoon is still offshore and clean, but the energy is starting to fade. Monday and Tuesday mornings hold clean, rideable 3 ft swell with light offshore winds, so it’s worth a paddle. Tuesday afternoon, though, the wind swings cross-onshore from the SW, and the sea gets choppy. That’s the end of the first good run.
We hit a dry spell from Wednesday, August 12th, through Thursday, August 13th. The swell is small, the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the conditions are poor. Not worth it.
Friday, August 14th is a serious standout. The morning sees 4 ft of SSW groundswell with a long 18-second period and a big jump in energy (804). The afternoon is where it gets excellent: clean cross-offshore wind from the ESE, and the swell energy rockets up to 1028. The swell is 4 ft, but with that period and energy, it will have some punch. This is one for the experienced surfers – the wave quality will be top-notch, and with that long period, look for the waves to wrap nicely into the river mouth. Crowds are possible here, so get out early.
Saturday, August 15th, the swell builds to 5 ft in the morning, with a strong ENE cross-offshore breeze at 22 mph. The energy is very strong (1118). That’s a lot of power, and the wind is fresh, so this is definitely for the experienced crew only. The afternoon eases to 4 ft with a clean offshore, still good energy (908). Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th stay in the 4 ft to 4 ft range with clean conditions, so there’s a solid run of surf here.
The next real highlight is Tuesday, August 18th. Clean, gentle offshore wind from the ENE, and a 4 ft SSW swell with a 15-second period. The energy is strong (551), and the conditions are set up for very good surf. Wednesday, August 19th afternoon goes glassy again with a 4 ft swell and 14-second period, offering another clean, smooth session.
The last week of the outlook tails off. The swell stays around 3 ft to 4 ft, but the wind patterns get messy – cross-onshore and onshore breezes start to chop things up. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st mornings are clean, but the afternoons are poor. Saturday the 22nd has a clean morning, but the afternoon is a cross-shore mess.
Best bets: Saturday afternoon, August 8th for the glassy, clean 3 ft waves, and Friday afternoon, August 14th for the bigger, more powerful groundswell with excellent conditions.
Stay safe, and don’t be a kook.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Sun afternoon, min 25°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the ENE by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 20 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
209 | 305 | 376 | 441 | 435 | 309 | 395 | 384 | 241 | 199 | 331 | 309 | 218 | 375 | 212 | 211 | 206 | 181 | 176 | 255 | 373 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 9:15PM1.90m | 9:45AM2.25m | 10:28PM1.90m | 10:57AM2.26m | 11:42PM1.98m | 12:07PM2.32m | 00:50AM2.13m | 1:10PM2.41m | 1:49AM2.30m | 2:07PM2.50m | 2:42AM2.47m | 2:59PM2.55m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 3:11PM0.52m | 3:17AM0.57m | 4:21PM0.51m | 4:30AM0.58m | 5:32PM0.44m | 5:45AM0.52m | 6:37PM0.33m | 6:54AM0.42m | 7:35PM0.20m | 7:54AM0.30m | 8:27PM0.09m | 8:49AM0.20m | 9:15PM0.02m | ||||||||
5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | |
— | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Temp °C | 31 | 31 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 31 | 34 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 27 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | S 8 | SW 15 | S 8 |
96 | 305 | 376 | 441 | 435 | 309 | 395 | 384 | 241 | 199 | 331 | 309 | 218 | 268 | 212 | 211 | 206 | 181 | 63 | 255 | 80 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 9 | SW 11 | S 11 | S 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | N 5 | SSW 20 | S 9 | SW 18 | N 5 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 9 | SW 15 | S 8 | SW 16 |
168 | 79 | 144 | 139 | 52 | 101 | 55 | 34 | 125 | 125 | 11 | 253 | 38 | 375 | 24 | 134 | 126 | 55 | 176 | 80 | 248 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SW 12 | S 9 | S 9 | N 5 | S 9 | SSW 18 | NNE 5 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | S 14 | S 15 | SW 20 |
209 | 151 | 76 | 52 | 7 | 39 | 30 | 8 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 40 | 157 | 36 | 62 | 57 | 56 | 71 | 91 | 39 | 373 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | — | N 5 | N 6 | WSW 6 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | — | NNE 5 | NNE 3 | — | NNE 5 | — | — | — | N 5 | — | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | — | NNE 4 |
9 | — | 11 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 18 | — | 9 | 9 | — | 7 | — | — | — | 7 | — | 6 | 4 | — | 4 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 323 | 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.











