
Surf Forecasts:
La Barra surf forecast from 27 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s period, SSW swell with 1,716 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for La Barra this week:
The surf forecast for La Barra over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at La Barra in the next 16 days are 1.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 12PM. 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+) | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for La Barra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's dial in the numbers for the imperial crew.
We are looking at a solid run of surf coming up at La Barra, a river/jetty break that's exposed to SSW swell. The water temp is sitting around 30°, which is about average for this time of year.
The first real standout hits on Sunday the 26th of July in the morning. It's not huge, around 4ft from the SSW, but the period is a juicy 19 seconds – that's proper long-period groundswell. The wind is glassy from the NW, so you're looking at clean, well-shaped waves. The combined swell energy is 1045 (moderate), but that long period will make for long, walling lines, especially on this river-mouth setup. It's best for experienced surfers at this size, but it's a beautiful morning. Afternoon gets a bit average with a cross-onshore breeze kicking in.
Then Monday the 27th is another ripper morning. Swell bumps up a fraction to 5ft from the SSW, still a solid 18-second period. The wind is dead calm, glassy as anything. This is the pick of the early run – clean, consistent lines. The combined energy climbs to 1306 (moderate). Again, afternoons get a light cross-onshore messing things up.
Tuesday the 28th keeps the good run going. Morning glass-off with 6ft from the SSW, 18-second period – that's getting into the "best for experienced surfers" territory. The combined energy is a meaty 1667 (moderate-strong). It'll be powerful, so take your bigger board if you're not used to it. Afternoon gets a bit lumpy.
After that, it starts to taper. Wednesday the 29th is still good in the morning (5ft, 16 seconds, glassy), but the magic is fading. By Thursday the 30th, the swell drops to 4ft and the period shortens to 14 seconds – still fun and glassy in the morning, but nothing special.
From the end of July into early August, the swell keeps dropping. We get some knee to waist-high mornings, like on Friday the 31st (3ft, 14 seconds, glassy) and Saturday the 1st of August (3ft, 13 seconds, glassy), but the afternoon winds mess it up. The combined energy drops below 500 (weak) from here on.
There's a string of clean, small mornings through the first week of August, like Sunday the 2nd (2ft, 12 seconds), Tuesday the 4th (3ft, 13 seconds) and Thursday the 6th (2ft, 15 seconds), but it's really just small, fun waves.
One interesting note for Friday the 7th of August: the morning is small (3ft) but glassy, and the afternoon, while cross-shore, has a period jump to 18 seconds. The afternoon swell energy clocks in at 469 (weak), but that long period could make for some sneaky, better-shaped waves if you can put up with a bit of wind chop. This is a long-range call, so less certain.
For the absolute standouts: Sunday 26th morning and Monday 27th morning are your best bets for clean, lined-up groundswell. Tuesday morning is also excellent. After that, it's just small but clean mornings, so pick your moment.
Crowds are listed as "sometimes" at La Barra, so on these good mornings, expect company, but nothing crazy. The break is fairly consistent, so even the smaller days should offer something.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sun morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 31°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
894 | 897 | 1081 | 1274 | 643 | 1265 | 1645 | 1526 | 1245 | 1199 | 1040 | 784 | 594 | 501 | 474 | 379 | 331 | 317 | 257 | 257 | 230 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 12:18PM1.64m | 00:55AM1.35m | 1:10PM1.68m | 1:46AM1.42m | 1:57PM1.73m | 2:32AM1.50m | 2:40PM1.77m | 3:14AM1.59m | 3:21PM1.80m | 3:53AM1.67m | 3:59PM1.80m | 4:30AM1.74m | 4:37PM1.78m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:58PM0.46m | 6:47AM0.53m | 7:45PM0.40m | 7:38AM0.49m | 8:27PM0.34m | 8:24AM0.44m | 9:06PM0.29m | 9:08AM0.40m | 9:42PM0.25m | 9:50AM0.37m | 10:16PM0.22m | 10:31AM0.35m | 10:50PM0.22m | ||||||||
5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | |
— | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | |
mm | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | 21 |
Temp °C | 30 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
894 | 897 | 1081 | 1274 | 643 | 1265 | 1645 | 1526 | 1245 | 1199 | 1040 | 784 | 594 | 501 | 474 | 379 | 331 | 317 | 257 | 257 | 230 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 8 | SW 10 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | SSW 19 | SE 7 | SE 6 | S 8 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 5 | W 8 | W 10 | S 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | S 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | S 7 | SE 7 |
66 | 110 | 66 | 14 | 533 | 17 | 9 | 21 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 39 | 9 | 8 | 47 | 9 | 10 | 19 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SE 8 | WSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 6 | SE 5 | S 9 | SE 6 | W 9 | W 8 | ESE 6 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | S 7 | SW 16 | S 8 |
85 | 57 | 28 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 66 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 17 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 552 | 0 | 0 | 470 | 0 | 0 | 503 | 0 | 0 | 495 | 0 | 0 | 498 | 0 | 0 | 495 | 0 | 0 | 894 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guatemala - Pacific Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Guatemala | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the La Barra Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for La Barra provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at La Barra can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our La Barra 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 (La Barra) 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 La Barra 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.
La Barra is 9 km (6 miles) from San Jose. If you plan a holiday in Guatemala - Pacific Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Jose. San Jose has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










