Surf Forecasts:
El Estero surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 21s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 18s period, SW swell with 1,465 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Estero in the next 16 days are 1.6m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Estero over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for the local stretch.
We’re kicking off with a bit of a slow start. The first real surf window opens up on Monday afternoon, but honestly, it’s a bit of a write-off. The swell is only 3ft from the SW, and while the period is a long 16 seconds, the wind is a stiff 30 km/h cross-off from the ENE. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 86°F, but the combined energy is weak (397) and the conditions are poor. You’re better off waiting.
Tuesday morning at El Estero (river) is where things start to look up. We’ve got a clean 3ft SW groundswell, with a 15-second period, and a gentle offshore wind from the ENE at 15 km/h. The combined energy is still moderate (301), but it’s clean. It’s a decent option for a Tuesday morning session, though it’s not a standout.
The real standout moment is actually on Friday, July 24th, in the morning. This is the best on offer in the first week. The swell is a modest 3ft, but the period is a very long 24 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is a gentle cross-off from the NE, and the combined energy is strong (852). Expect very good, clean surf. This is a point or reef sort of wave, so it should hold up nicely. That’s the one to circle.
We then have a bit of a lull, with some marginal conditions through the weekend, but the energy builds again towards the end of the month. The morning of Monday, July 27th, is worth a mention. The swell is 4ft from the SW, with a 16-second period, and an offshore wind from the E at 20 km/h. The combined energy is very strong (1380), and it’s excellent for experienced surfers.
The absolute best on offer, however, is the morning of Tuesday, July 28th. This is a heavyweight. The swell hits 5ft from the SW, with an 18-second period, and a glassy offshore wind from the ENE at just 5 km/h. The combined energy is very strong (1645). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. It’s a big, clean, powerful groundswell. If you’re an expert, that’s your session.
After that, the swell holds but the afternoon winds turn onshore. The morning of Wednesday, July 29th, still has 5ft from the SW with a 16-second period and a light cross-off wind, but the crowd profile at El Estero says it’s “often” busy, so expect company.
The second week winds down. The morning of Thursday, August 1st, has a clean 3ft SW swell, but the energy is moderate (382). The last real highlight is Monday afternoon, August 3rd, with a 4ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and a clean offshore wind. The combined energy is moderate (640). Not a classic, but a solid session.
To wrap it up: the first week is slow, but the morning of Friday, July 24th, is a standout for the quality of the long-period swell, and the morning of Tuesday, July 28th, is the big, powerful, clean session for the experts. Expect crowds at El Estero, as it’s a consistent spot that often gets attention.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 7 | SW 8 | SW 24 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 361 | 365 | 301 | 293 | 250 | 173 | 158 | 92 | 93 | 105 | 79 | 661 | 271 | 1015 | 756 | 569 | 1210 | 920 | 996 | 1199 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | off | off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:20PM2.15m | 7:48AM2.32m | 8:11PM1.99m | 8:37AM2.19m | 9:05PM1.86m | 9:29AM2.08m | 10:05PM1.77m | 10:26AM2.02m | 11:08PM1.73m | 11:25AM2.00m | 00:09AM1.75m | 12:21PM2.03m | 1:04AM1.82m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:27AM0.41m | 2:10PM0.51m | 2:15AM0.56m | 3:04PM0.60m | 3:07AM0.68m | 4:02PM0.66m | 4:04AM0.77m | 5:03PM0.68m | 5:05AM0.80m | 6:02PM0.65m | 6:04AM0.78m | 6:55PM0.59m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | 6:08 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
Temp °C | 31 | 26 | 30 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 30 | 27 | 34 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SW 8 | SSW 7 | SW 8 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 361 | 365 | 301 | 293 | 250 | 173 | 158 | 34 | 48 | 105 | 79 | 134 | 75 | 1015 | 756 | 569 | 1210 | 920 | 996 | 1199 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | S 7 | SW 24 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 12 | N 5 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | S 10 |
| kJ | 146 | 187 | 134 | 137 | 174 | 119 | 119 | 92 | 93 | 80 | 63 | 661 | 51 | 97 | 94 | 15 | 116 | 32 | 63 | 125 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 | N 5 | N 6 | N 5 | SSW 11 | S 10 | N 5 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 24 | SW 16 | SW 7 | S 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | S 10 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 36 | 34 | 31 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 11 | 39 | 19 | 11 | 58 | 57 | 271 | 125 | 24 | 88 | 61 | 58 | 32 | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | NE 3 | NNE 6 | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | — | NNE 4 | N 4 | N 5 | — | N 5 | — | — | — | SSE 5 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | 18 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 12 | — | 7 | 13 | 28 | — | 36 | — | — | — | 49 | 6 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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