Playa Manzanillo Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
- Live Weather
- Surf Webcam
Weather State
Spot Information

Playa Manzanillo Surf Guide

Playa Manzanillo in Golfo de Nicoya is an exposed beach and reef break that has unreliable waves Works best in offshore winds from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west northwest. Both left and right reef breaks. Sometimes crowded. Hazards include rips and rocks.

Playa Manzanillo Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	3	inconsistent	30.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Playa Manzanillo:

The best conditions reported for surf at Playa Manzanillo occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Playa Manzanillo (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Playa Manzanillo with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 6% of the time in January while 3% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 91% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

91%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Playa Manzanillo Location Map

Interactive Playa Manzanillo surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Playa Manzanillo is Nosara Airport (NOB) in Costa Rica, 55 km (34 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Playa Manzanillo is Daniel Oduber Quiros International (Liberia) Airport (LIR), also in Costa Rica, 104 km (65 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Playa Manzanillo Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 19:34 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	16	16	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	glass	glass

What does Playa Manzanillo look like?

Latest photos from Playa Manzanillo. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rafael Azevedo

Tides at Playa Manzanillo

Current tide and informaton

For Playa Caletas, 6 km from Playa Manzanillo.

Next High Water: 06:14am | 1.98m

Next Low Water: 12:10pm | 0.68m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Playa Manzanillo Sea Temperature

A hot and sunny day, feeling like 30.0 °C even after we account for wind, and very warm water temperature (30.2 °C) too at Playa Manzanillo. Surfers may need a thin summer wetsuit or at least a rash vest to block the UV.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 30.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite