- Forecast
- Maps
- Live
- Weather State
- Spot Information
Surf Forecasts:
Mal Pais surfForecast / Golfo de Nicoya / Costa Rica
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Wednesday 27 May 2026 CSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Mal Pais surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Mal Pais sea temperature is
30.4° C
(Which is 1.8°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Mal Pais surf forecast from 27 May 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 31 May, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 1 Jun, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 18s period, SW swell with 1,465 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 28 May, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Mal Pais this week:
The surf forecast for Mal Pais over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 28) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Mal Pais in the next 16 days are 1.6m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jun 01) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Friday (May 29) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 28th May) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 31st May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Mon 1st Jun) | 5ft (1.6m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mal Pais over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Wed morning, min 27°C on Thu afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 27°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 27 | Thursday 28 | Friday 29 | Saturday 30 | Sunday 31 | Monday 1 | Tuesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 17 | S 17 | SSW 16 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | |
304 | 299 | 257 | 268 | 360 | 178 | 280 | 297 | 293 | 293 | 589 | 871 | 640 | 1210 | 1312 | 1465 | 1432 | 1201 | 906 | 793 | 675 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
glassy | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | |
High Tide | 11:58AM2.31m | 00:33AM2.07m | 12:45PM2.34m | 1:21AM2.11m | 1:28PM2.36m | 2:03AM2.15m | 2:08PM2.39m | 2:43AM2.19m | 2:47PM2.41m | 3:22AM2.21m | 3:26PM2.41m | 4:01AM2.22m | 4:05PM2.39m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:26PM0.54m | 6:31AM0.66m | 7:12PM0.47m | 7:16AM0.63m | 7:53PM0.40m | 7:58AM0.60m | 8:32PM0.35m | 8:38AM0.56m | 9:11PM0.32m | 9:18AM0.54m | 9:49PM0.31m | 9:57AM0.55m | 10:27PM0.32m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — |
 | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
— | 1 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 17 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
 kJ | 304 | 299 | 257 | 268 | 360 | 178 | 280 | 297 | 293 | 208 | 589 | 871 | 408 | 703 | 1312 | 1465 | 1432 | 1201 | 906 | 793 | 675 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 17 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | S 15 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 48 | 45 | 40 | 37 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 47 | 44 | 293 | 205 | 257 | 446 | 1210 | 627 | 421 | 324 | 232 | 183 | 164 | 117 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 12 | — | SW 5 | SW 16 | S 19 | SSW 18 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 6 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 12 | SW 15 | — | — | — | SSW 22 | SW 21 | SW 20 |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 89 | 29 | 62 | 124 | 218 | 43 | 543 | 640 | 98 | 33 | — | — | — | 45 | 71 | 188 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 151 | 0 | 10 | 76 | 0 | 34 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | 4 | 99 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Mal Pais 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 Mal Pais Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Mal Pais provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Mal Pais can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Mal Pais 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 (Mal Pais) 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 Mal Pais 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.
Mal Pais is 51 km (32 miles) from Puntarenas. If you plan a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya, look for hotels and other accommodation in Puntarenas. Puntarenas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest