Surf Forecasts:
Jaco Beach surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 17s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,432 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period with SW 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jaco Beach in the next 16 days are 1.6m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jaco Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it for Jaco. This forecast has some shoulder-high SW groundswell coming in across the weekend and into early next week. The afternoons can get a little sketchy with t-storms and a light cross breeze, but the mornings are all window—clean and glassy. That Friday morning swell is rolling in at 17 seconds, which is real groundswell energy. Water temp’s sitting at 86°, a touch warmer than usual for the time of year. The combined wave energy reading on Friday is around 1041, which is a solid moderate-to-strong push.
The big standout is Friday morning, September 4th, at Jaco Beach. That’s your best bet. A 4ft SW swell with a 17-second period, wind out of the ENE and dead calm. That’s proper glass, clean faces, and the sets will have some real weight behind them. Crowds can be around sometimes here, so get in early.
Saturday the 5th is almost as good: a similar 5ft SW swell, 16-second period, glassy calm ENE wind again. The energy is even stronger at 1342. That’s fat, clean, and perfect for an intermediate or stronger surfer.
After that weekend, the swell slowly drops. The mornings of the 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th are still glassy, but heights come down and the periods shorten a little. Still fun, but not the same punch. By the 12th, you’re looking at knee-to-waist high leftovers. There’s a lull from around the 13th to the 16th—small and inconsistent most afternoons turn messy.
Then it sparks back up around the 17th with another SW pulse, period hitting a huge 23 seconds, but the height is tiny at 2ft. That’s a real long-period groundswell with massive energy for its size—566 on the scale—but at a beach break it’ll just close out or be tricky. If you’re advanced, you might find something, but it’s not an everyman wave.
For beginners: that Saturday and Sunday morning swell at 4 to 5ft might be too much if you’re just learning. Over 5ft starts entering the “not for groms” zone.
First week is the real deal. After that, stick to the glassy mornings and forget the t-storm afternoons.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 27°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 504 | 795 | 951 | 1415 | 1225 | 1317 | 1055 | 788 | 676 | 453 | 447 | 363 | 299 | 249 | 249 | 193 | 306 | 371 | 310 | 679 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 7:03PM2.34m | 7:26AM2.57m | 8:00PM2.22m | 8:27AM2.45m | 9:10PM2.14m | 9:39AM2.37m | 10:31PM2.15m | 10:58AM2.38m | 11:47PM2.27m | 12:10PM2.45m | 00:52AM2.46m | 1:12PM2.57m | 1:46AM2.65m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:06AM0.50m | 1:52PM0.49m | 2:04AM0.62m | 2:58PM0.57m | 3:16AM0.72m | 4:13PM0.60m | 4:37AM0.73m | 5:28PM0.54m | 5:54AM0.64m | 6:33PM0.42m | 7:00AM0.49m | 7:28PM0.29m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — |
 | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:42 | — |
mm | 6 | 11 | — | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 11 | — | 5 | 18 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 504 | 795 | 951 | 1415 | 1225 | 1317 | 1055 | 788 | 676 | 453 | 447 | 363 | 299 | 249 | 172 | 172 | 306 | 371 | 310 | 679 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 8 | SSW 11 | S 11 | W 9 | S 7 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 6 | S 6 | WSW 6 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 161 | 93 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 14 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 68 | 79 | 29 | 19 | 20 | 249 | 193 | 64 | 68 | 79 | 40 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | S 8 | SW 11 | W 8 | W 8 | S 12 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | SSW 15 | W 10 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | S 6 | WSW 7 | W 7 | WSW 7 | SW 20 | SW 19 | WNW 11 |
| kJ | 134 | 32 | 60 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 85 | 8 | 26 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 26 | 15 | 134 | 133 | 23 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 75 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 1 | 1 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 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.
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