Surf Forecasts:
La Barra surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with 437 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at La Barra in the next 16 days are 1.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for La Barra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cooking for La Barra. This is a river/jetty joint that loves a good SSW swell, and we’ve got a solid run of waves lined up. The water’s sitting at a warm 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year—real nice for a long paddle.
The big picture is a consistent, clean swell train for the first week, with the standout window on Sunday the 16th. That morning it’s a total dream: 4 ft of SW swell at 15 seconds, glassy flat with zero wind. That’s the session you plan around. The combined swell energy is a moderate 532, so there’s plenty of power, and that long period (15 seconds) gives you proper, well-shaped waves with plenty of time between sets. For a river/jetty spot, that long-period groundswell will run in clean and line up beautifully. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so head out early.
Monday the 17th through Thursday the 20th, the swell eases a bit but stays in the 2 ft to 3 ft range out of the SSW, with periods around 14 seconds. Each morning is glassy—calm or a light east-southeast breeze—so the surf is clean. The energy readings run from 302 to 478, moderate but plenty of fun. Mornings are your go; afternoons get wrecked by a 9 to 12 mph SSW cross-onshore, so don’t waste your time then.
Friday the 21st morning offers a 3 ft S swell with a short 8-second period and glassy conditions—but that short period means weaker, lumpier waves. Still, it’s surfable. The afternoon bumps to 4 ft S swell but gets hammered by cross-onshore wind. Not great.
Saturday the 22nd morning is cleaner with a 2 ft SSW swell at a very long 16 seconds, cross-off wind from the WNW, and moderate energy (440). That long period will wrap well into the river mouth. Morning is decent. Afternoon turns cross-shore and choppy.
There’s a bit of a dry spell from Sunday the 23rd to Thursday the 27th, with swell dropping to 1 ft to 3 ft. Mornings stay glassy or clean, but it’s small. The best of that lull is Sunday the 23rd morning (3 ft, 14 seconds, glassy) and Monday the 24th morning (2 ft, 18 seconds, clean offshore—that long period keeps it lined up even at small size). Not a total loss, but nothing to shout about.
Into the second week, things fire back up. Friday the 28th morning shows 3 ft, 16-second SSW groundswell with glassy conditions and moderate energy (406). That’s a promising return. The real highlight is Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th. Saturday morning: 3 ft SSW at 16 seconds, dead calm, glassy, and a solid 568 energy—that’s the best of the fortnight after the opening weekend. Sunday morning: 3 ft SSW at 15 seconds, clean cross-off wind from the NW, energy at 565. Both mornings are absolute crackers, though they’re a week and a half out so keep watching the forecasts. Crowds will be around, so get in early. Afternoons on both days get a bit messy with cross or cross-onshore wind.
Monday the 31st morning finishes it off with 3 ft SSW, 14 seconds, glassy—a clean, solid end.
Best bets: Sunday the 16th morning for that perfect glassy 4 ft groundswell, and Saturday the 29th morning for a similar-sized, clean punch. Everything else is good morning surf but nothing that’ll blow you away. Keep out of the afternoons unless you like it messy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Sun afternoon, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 31°C on Wed afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
437 | 437 | 352 | 352 | 323 | 303 | 321 | 392 | 344 | 268 | 178 | 161 | 154 | 111 | 305 | 295 | 281 | 279 | 223 | 220 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | off | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 5:19PM1.88m | 5:46AM2.02m | 6:03PM1.78m | 6:29AM1.94m | 6:47PM1.66m | 7:12AM1.84m | 7:32PM1.53m | 7:58AM1.73m | 8:20PM1.42m | 8:48AM1.64m | 9:15PM1.33m | 9:44AM1.57m | 10:18PM1.28m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:28PM0.08m | 12:03PM0.19m | 00:10AM0.17m | 12:48PM0.27m | 00:51AM0.28m | 1:34PM0.36m | 1:34AM0.38m | 2:24PM0.45m | 2:19AM0.48m | 3:19PM0.53m | 3:12AM0.56m | 4:22PM0.57m | ||||||||
— | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | |
6:23 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 18 | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 30 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | S 8 | SE 7 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
437 | 437 | 352 | 352 | 89 | 303 | 321 | 392 | 344 | 268 | 80 | 114 | 90 | 60 | 305 | 295 | 281 | 279 | 223 | 185 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 7 | S 11 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SE 8 | S 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
138 | 60 | 59 | 98 | 323 | 99 | 78 | 105 | 69 | 68 | 178 | 161 | 57 | 92 | 15 | 14 | 123 | 215 | 168 | 220 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SW 7 | SE 6 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 18 | S 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SSW 20 | SE 7 |
11 | 14 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 31 | 8 | 16 | 64 | 73 | 49 | 23 | 154 | 111 | 61 | 46 | 22 | 9 | 75 | 18 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | ESE 6 | WSW 4 | — | — | SSE 3 | — | — | — | ESE 7 | — | — | WNW 3 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 374 | 0 | 0 | 295 | 0 | 0 | 498 | 0 | 41 | 552 | 0 | 0 | 545 | 0 | 0 | 484 | 0 | 0 | 138 | 0 |
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.











