Jaco Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 9.60° N 84.62° W

Jaco Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 11 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Jaco Beach sea temperature is
30.2° C
1.9° 

Jaco Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Jaco Beach surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period, SW swell with 973 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s 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 Wednesday (Aug 12) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. 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 1.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (CST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Wed 12th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 16s
Best Surf 6PM (Fri 14th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 18s
Most Powerful 9PM (Fri 14th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jaco Beach over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a nice little run of cleaner conditions coming through, but the swell is going to be on the smaller side. The real standout is going to be next Saturday morning, the 15th of August, but we’ll get to that.

The first decent window opens up on Wednesday morning, the 12th of August. The wind is glassy from the NNW at 3 mph, and the waves are a clean 2 ft from the SW. The period is a very long 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell energy. The combined swell energy is moderate (372). This long period stuff likes a point or reef, but it’s glassy, so it’ll be clean. That's the best of the early part.

Thursday the 13th and Friday morning the 14th aren't really worth a paddle. Thursday is a bit messy with cross-shore winds, and the swell drops. Friday morning the 14th, though, we see a jump up to 3 ft from the SW, with a long 18-second period and glassy NNW wind at 3 mph. The energy is still moderate (837), but it’s clean. The afternoon turns onshore, so the morning is the only window.

Now, the standout. Saturday morning, the 15th of August. This is the one. The wind is dead calm, glassy, from the ESE. The swell is 4 ft from the SW, with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1046). This is excellent for experienced surfers – it’s not beginner territory at that size, but for everyone else, it’s the pick of the forecast. The afternoon stays clean with a light SSE breeze, but the morning is the gold.

Sunday the 16th of August morning is still pretty good with 4 ft from the SW and a glassy north wind, but the energy drops to moderate (662). The afternoon is ruined by a cross-onshore wind.

Monday the 17th of August is a write-off in the morning, but the afternoon glass-off from the NNE at 3 mph gives us a clean 3 ft from the SW. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

After that, the swell drops. From Tuesday the 18th through to early the following week, we’re looking at smaller waves in the 2 ft to 3 ft range. There are a few glassy mornings – like Wednesday the 19th, Thursday the 20th, and Monday the 24th of August – but the size is just not there. The wind is offshore or glassy, so the conditions will be clean, but you’ll be on a longboard or a foiler.

The week of the 21st of August sees a shift to a short-period S swell at 10 seconds, which is much weaker. The energy is weak (214-318). Not great.

Tuesday the 25th of August and Wednesday the 26th of August mornings are glassy with a tiny 1 ft to 2 ft SW groundswell. It’s surfable but ordinary.

The run ends on Thursday the 27th of August with a glassy morning and a glimmer of a 2 ft SW swell. It’s the last call of the forecast.

Overall, the best bet is Saturday morning, the 15th of August, for the biggest, cleanest waves. The other mornings are all about small, clean conditions. There's a big gap of poor afternoon surf, so stick to the dawn patrols.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 26°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 50mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
2
1
1
3
3
2
4
4
3
3
3
1
3
1
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SW
13
0.6
SW
16
0.6
SW
16
0.6
SW
16
0.6
SW
15
0.4
SW
18
0.7
SW
19
1
SW
18
1.1
SW
18
1.3
SW
17
1.3
SW
16
1.3
SW
16
1.3
SW
16
1.1
SW
15
1.1
SW
14
1.1
SW
14
1
SW
14
1
SW
14
0.9
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
144
211
206
155
137
111
369
623
686
951
909
803
773
535
528
466
371
371
313
Wind (km/h)
5
NE
5
NNW
10
S
5
ENE
5
N
10
S
5
NNE
5
NNW
15
SW
5
N
0
ESE
5
SSE
10
SE
5
N
15
NW
5
SSW
10
N
5
NNE
10
NNE
Wind State
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
glassy
cross
glassy
cross-off
High Tide
2:00AM2.59m
2:17PM2.77m
2:52AM2.77m
3:08PM2.84m
3:40AM2.89m
3:56PM2.86m
4:24AM2.95m
4:41PM2.81m
5:06AM2.93m
5:24PM2.70m
5:48AM2.84m
6:07PM2.56m
Low Tide
8:05AM0.35m
8:36PM0.09m
8:59AM0.22m
9:23PM0.01m
9:48AM0.15m
10:08PM0.00m
10:35AM0.13m
10:51PM0.06m
11:20AM0.17m
11:32PM0.17m
12:03PM0.27m
00:13AM0.32m
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
light rain
cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:28
5:28
5:28
5:28
5:28
5:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:57
5:55
5:55
5:55
5:54
5:54
 mm
2
1
4
1
1
13
14
1
1
15
5
Temp °C
29
29
30
28
29
30
28
29
29
28
29
28
26
27
27
26
25
26
26
Feels °C
34
33
33
33
32
33
32
32
31
33
33
33
30
30
29
30
29
30
29
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Jaco Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Jaco Beach 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest