
Surf Forecasts:
Jaco Beach surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 19s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,282 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 21s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Jaco Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Jaco Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 21s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jaco Beach in the next 16 days are 1.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 21s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jaco Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your boards, crew—Rusty here, and I'm looking straight at Jaco Beach for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you though, this stretch is a mixed bag. The water's sitting at a balmy 86°, feeling a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. Good if you're wearing boardshorts, but the swell story isn't all sunshine. We've got a moderate push of south-west groundswell moving through, with combined energy hitting three-digit figures like 379 initially, building up nicely. But the real story is how clean it gets with the right wind.
First up, this Friday afternoon the 24th, the swell's only 2ft from the SW with a crazy long 24-second period – that's proper groundswell energy – and it's clean with a cross-off breeze. But honestly, it's small. Saturday the 25th is tricky with some clouds and a cross-shore breeze early, swell bumps to 3ft. The period's still long (21 seconds), but we're looking at "marginal" conditions.
Now, here's the standout window: If you’re hanging out for the best of the lot, circle Monday morning the 27th of July. The swell holds at 4ft from the SW, but it's glassy – total glass. Combined energy is cranked up to 1191, and the wave comment calls it excellent for experienced surfers. That’s our pick. Tuesday the 28th morning runs a close second: swell hits 4ft, still glassy, energy at 1184 – absolutely clean. Afternoons both days get a bit sketchy with cross-onshore wind, so get out early.
Wednesday the 29th morning keeps the glassy vibe with 4ft SW swell and energy at 929. Solid, but the magic starts to fade. From Thursday the 30th, it's a slow bleed – swell drops below 3ft, period shortens, and energy falls off into the 400s. We hit a dry spell with small surf and poor conditions for a few days.
Into the first week of August, it's a real grind. From Saturday the 1st through Wednesday the 5th, we're looking at mostly 2ft to 2ft swell, some glassy mornings, but the energy is weak – down in the 100s and 200s. The period dips to 8 or 9 seconds on the 5th, which is short and weak. Thursday the 6th morning picks up a little with 2ft SW swell and a 14-second period, combined energy at 232, and it's glassy again, so there's a small window for a fun session.
Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th mornings offer a whisper of hope – 3ft to 3ft swell, glassy or light offshore, but the period is short (9-10 seconds) and energy is in the 100s. It's surfable for the patient, but nothing to race home for.
Keep an eye on that Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th mornings – that's your best bet for clean, punchy waves at Jaco Beach. After that, we're in a waiting game for the next pulse.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 24 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
271 | 799 | 543 | 474 | 959 | 808 | 790 | 851 | 920 | 930 | 686 | 974 | 1282 | 909 | 886 | 793 | 623 | 466 | 401 | 384 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:18PM1.93m | 11:33AM2.19m | 00:20AM1.96m | 12:30PM2.23m | 1:15AM2.04m | 1:22PM2.31m | 2:02AM2.15m | 2:07PM2.39m | 2:45AM2.28m | 2:49PM2.47m | 3:23AM2.40m | 3:28PM2.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:09PM0.77m | 5:14AM0.92m | 6:09PM0.73m | 6:15AM0.89m | 7:03PM0.66m | 7:09AM0.83m | 7:50PM0.56m | 7:57AM0.74m | 8:31PM0.46m | 8:41AM0.65m | 9:09PM0.38m | 9:22AM0.58m | 9:45PM0.32m | |||||||
— | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | |
6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | |
mm | 2 | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 3 |
Temp °C | 29 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Feels °C | 31 | 27 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 7 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
56 | 799 | 543 | 474 | 959 | 808 | 790 | 851 | 920 | 930 | 686 | 974 | 1282 | 909 | 886 | 793 | 623 | 466 | 401 | 384 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | WSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 11 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 9 | S 11 | S 6 | S 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 |
52 | 56 | 45 | 45 | 156 | 45 | 98 | 94 | 203 | 203 | 285 | 171 | 39 | 59 | 21 | 54 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 12 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 24 | S 7 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 11 | — | SSW 11 | W 12 | S 10 | S 10 | W 8 | W 9 |
271 | 34 | 40 | 31 | 65 | 58 | 58 | 18 | 68 | 65 | 41 | 39 | 25 | — | 22 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 0 | 1 | 146 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Jaco Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Jaco Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Jaco Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Jaco Beach 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 (Jaco Beach) 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 Jaco Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya? If you are looking for accommodation near Jaco Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Golfo de Nicoya, consider staying in Esparza which is 43 km (27 miles) away. Other places in and around Golfo de Nicoya where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include San Rafael Abajo which is 45 km (28 miles) away, Tejar, Chacarita and Puntarenas.










