Surf Forecasts:
Mal Pais surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,109 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s 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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. 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 1.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Mal Pais over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue morning, min 27°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 211 | 125 | 191 | 110 | 100 | 117 | 150 | 93 | 239 | 531 | 239 | 777 | 1029 | 1109 | 1001 | 833 | 726 | 541 | 392 | 386 | 282 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 12:54PM2.12m | 1:33AM2.06m | 1:41PM2.23m | 2:13AM2.21m | 2:22PM2.33m | 2:50AM2.36m | 3:00PM2.40m | 3:24AM2.49m | 3:37PM2.46m | 3:58AM2.59m | 4:14PM2.47m | 4:33AM2.64m | 4:51PM2.45m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:19PM0.59m | 7:32AM0.71m | 7:59PM0.48m | 8:15AM0.58m | 8:36PM0.39m | 8:54AM0.47m | 9:10PM0.31m | 9:32AM0.36m | 9:44PM0.26m | 10:09AM0.29m | 10:19PM0.25m | 10:46AM0.25m | 10:54PM0.26m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — |
mm | 1 | 9 | 4 | — | 2 | 6 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 5 | — | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
Temp °C | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 33 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 73 | 50 | 191 | 51 | 100 | 117 | 92 | 93 | 44 | 531 | 235 | 777 | 1029 | 1109 | 1001 | 833 | 726 | 541 | 392 | 386 | 98 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 6 | S 7 | SW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 7 | S 6 | SSW 6 | W 11 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 211 | 125 | 46 | 110 | 77 | 75 | 150 | 76 | 239 | 44 | 34 | 189 | 161 | 75 | 54 | 55 | 9 | 75 | 44 | 39 | 282 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | WSW 6 | SW 14 | SW 20 | S 7 | S 11 | — | SW 7 | W 11 | W 15 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 |
| kJ | 37 | 13 | 12 | 30 | 11 | 56 | 54 | 81 | 24 | 123 | 239 | 37 | 62 | — | 21 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 6 | W 5 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 49 | 25 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 10 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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