
Surf Forecasts:
Jaco Beach surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SSW swell with 264 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. 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 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 3PM. 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+) | 6AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jaco Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and we're looking at the 16-day window here for Jaco Beach. It's a beach break that's very consistent, so even when it's not pumping, there's usually something to sit on. The water's sitting at a warm 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
The next few days are a bit dialled back. We've got a little pulse of SW swell hangin' around from Friday 31 July into the weekend, but it's pretty small, around 2ft to 2ft. The real gem is the Saturday morning (1 August) – you've got a clean 2ft of SW swell, glassy conditions with a NNE breeze, and the combined energy of the swell is moderate (229). It's small but clean. Sunday morning (2 August) is also worth a mention – 2ft of SW swell, cross-off winds, and the period jumps to 15 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell that'll put some shape in the waves. The energy is moderate (236).
Monday morning (3 August) is another glassy one with 2ft of SW swell (287 energy), but the afternoons get a bit of a risk of thunderstorms and cross-on wind, so mornings are the call. The following week, from Tuesday 4 August, the swell drops right off to 3ft but with a short period of 9 seconds, and the energy dips to 275 – it's weak, messy, and the afternoons aren't worth paddling out for. This pattern of small, short-period swell continues through Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th, with energy dropping to 143 and 108 – very weak. Honestly, the surf quality is ordinary, and the afternoon winds are no good.
Now, hold onto your board, because things start to look up from Friday 7 August. The swell direction swings to SSW, the period jumps to 17-18 seconds, and the energy climbs to 382. That Friday morning (7 August) is glassy with 2ft of SW swell, but Saturday 8 August is the real standout. Saturday morning (8 August) is dead calm, glassy, with 3ft of SSW groundswell and a solid 16-second period. The combined energy is strong (548) – that's a proper pulse. The waves will be clean and have some punch, though with that long period, it might break a bit straight at the beach, so keep an eye on the rip. Sunday morning (9 August) is also a winner with glassy conditions and 3ft of SSW swell at 14 seconds (398 energy).
The next week keeps the momentum. Monday 10 August morning is calm and glassy, 2ft of SW swell (344 energy). Tuesday 11 August is glassy again with 2ft of SW swell. Then Wednesday 12 August morning has a 2ft SW swell but a very long 18-second period (334 energy) – that's a deep-ocean groundswell, but it'll be small. Thursday 13 August morning is absolutely firing – clear skies, 3ft of SSW swell, 14-second period, and the energy is very strong at 618. That's one of the best windows. Friday 14 August morning is another cracker: 2ft of SW swell at a massive 19-second period, 617 energy, glassy. And Saturday 15 August morning – dead calm, 3ft of SW swell at 17 seconds, energy is 674 – that's the strongest energy in the whole window. That's your expert session, if you can handle the long-period lines.
The afternoons across this whole window are mostly average to poor, with cross-on winds and risk of thunderstorms. Mornings are the only go. This is a consistent setup, so it tends not to stay poor for long, and the long-range standouts from 13-15 August are promising but a bit less certain. For a beginner, the swell stays under 5ft all window, so it's manageable, but the long-period days can be a bit more challenging. The standout is definitely Saturday 15 August morning – the calmest, cleanest, and most powerful day of the lot. Crowds are possible here, as it's a very consistent spot.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SW 12 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
257 | 245 | 170 | 167 | 125 | 107 | 136 | 200 | 147 | 173 | 140 | 134 | 134 | 92 | 84 | 64 | 64 | 76 | 57 | 111 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross |
High Tide | 4:05PM2.56m | 4:34AM2.58m | 4:41PM2.55m | 5:08AM2.63m | 5:18PM2.52m | 5:43AM2.66m | 5:56PM2.46m | 6:20AM2.65m | 6:37PM2.38m | 7:01AM2.62m | 7:23PM2.28m | 7:48AM2.57m | 8:18PM2.19m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:19PM0.30m | 10:38AM0.48m | 10:52PM0.30m | 11:15AM0.45m | 11:26PM0.33m | 11:54AM0.45m | 00:01AM0.38m | 12:35PM0.46m | 00:41AM0.45m | 1:21PM0.49m | 1:26AM0.53m | 2:14PM0.54m | 2:20AM0.61m | |||||||
— | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | |
6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:59 | — | |
mm | 4 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 11 | 1 | — | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | S 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 |
257 | 245 | 170 | 167 | 118 | 96 | 30 | 75 | 83 | 73 | 140 | 134 | 134 | 92 | 84 | 64 | 64 | 76 | 57 | 39 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SW 16 | S 7 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 13 |
17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 125 | 33 | 136 | 200 | 147 | 173 | 138 | 100 | 73 | 92 | 50 | 50 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 111 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 6 | SW 15 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SW 9 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 6 | SW 15 | SW 11 | SSW 12 | S 11 | S 10 |
13 | 12 | 43 | 66 | 14 | 107 | 93 | 21 | 57 | 12 | 41 | 41 | 10 | 25 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 61 | 37 | 31 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 151 | 1 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 1 |
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.











