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Playa Grande Surf Forecast
/ Guanacaste (28 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Playa Grande surfForecast / Guanacaste / Costa Rica
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Thursday 07 May 2026 CSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Playa Grande surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Playa Grande sea temperature is
29.9° C
(Which is 1.1°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa Grande this week:
The surf forecast for Playa Grande over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (May 08) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Grande in the next 16 days are 1.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 09) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 12s period and expected on Friday (May 08) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 8th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 9th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 9th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Grande over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Sun morning, min 26°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | Sunday 10 | Monday 11 | Tuesday 12 | Wednesday 13 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 20 | SSW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | |
245 | 187 | 286 | 138 | 263 | 339 | 493 | 895 | 595 | 587 | 587 | 353 | 276 | 314 | 255 | 251 | 160 | 184 | 216 | 516 | 551 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 6:19PM2.07m | 6:59AM1.91m | 7:04PM1.98m | 7:48AM1.88m | 7:54PM1.90m | 8:41AM1.89m | 8:53PM1.85m | 9:38AM1.95m | 9:57PM1.85m | 10:34AM2.07m | 11:00PM1.90m | 11:28AM2.22m | 11:58PM2.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:43AM0.54m | 12:55PM0.77m | 1:27AM0.62m | 1:47PM0.84m | 2:16AM0.68m | 2:48PM0.85m | 3:11AM0.71m | 3:54PM0.80m | 4:07AM0.69m | 4:57PM0.69m | 5:04AM0.63m | 5:54PM0.52m | 5:58AM0.52m | ||||||||
 |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 |
 | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | 5:57 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 32 |
33 | 32 | 35 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 31 | 32 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 36 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 27 | 32 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
 kJ | 245 | 187 | 286 | 138 | 263 | 222 | 493 | 895 | 595 | 587 | 587 | 353 | 276 | 314 | 255 | 133 | 136 | 138 | 104 | 516 | 551 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 20 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 215 | 187 | 173 | 127 | 138 | 339 | 229 | 222 | 199 | 148 | 146 | 130 | 125 | 102 | 100 | 251 | 160 | 147 | 144 | 110 | 106 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 8 | SW 19 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | — | WSW 12 | SSW 18 | SW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | W 12 | W 15 |
| kJ | 47 | 20 | 93 | 40 | 117 | 82 | 82 | — | 57 | 102 | 20 | 87 | 83 | 1 | 42 | 21 | 81 | 184 | 216 | 3 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NW 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NNW 4 | — | NNE 4 | N 5 | NE 3 | N 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | — | 6 | 20 | 3 | 40 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 30 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Playa Grande 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 Playa Grande Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa Grande provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Playa Grande can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa Grande 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 (Playa Grande) 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 Playa Grande 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.
Playa Grande is 48 km (30 miles) from Nicoya. If you plan a holiday in Guanacaste, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nicoya. Nicoya has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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