
Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 6 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 19s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 18s period, SW swell with 1,263 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 6 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa Negra this week:
The surf forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 06) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 16s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Negra in the next 16 days are 1.4m 18s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Mon 6th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Mon 6th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here, let's break down what Playa Negra is looking like for the next couple of weeks. It's a solid start, no doubt.
The opening days are the real highlight. Monday the 6th kicks off with a proper SW groundswell, coming in around 2-3 ft but with a very long period of 20 seconds. That means real energy – the combined energy is sitting at 770 (moderate) – and those long lulls between sets. It's a point and beach setup here, so that long period should wrap in nicely. Morning has a gentle offshore breeze from the ENE at 9 mph, keeping things clean. Honestly, it's looking like the best of the whole outlook right there.
That afternoon, the swell bumps up to around 3 ft from the same SW direction, period still a very long 19 seconds. The wind goes glassy – flat calm. If you can get out there, you're looking at absolutely pristine conditions. The combined energy jumps to 1203 (strong). It's excellent, but the size is solid enough that beginners might find it a handful. For the experienced crew, this is the session to aim for.
Tuesday the 7th keeps the momentum. Morning has a moderate offshore breeze, 12 mph from the ENE, with a 4 ft SW swell and an 18-second period. Combined energy is 1126 (strong) – still powerful. Afternoon goes lighter, with a 4-5 ft SW swell and a cross-off breeze, keeping it clean. The swell is getting up there – over 5 ft by Tuesday afternoon – so this is getting into advanced territory now. Strong, consistent waves.
Now, Wednesday the 8th sees a drop-off. The swell holds around 4 ft, but the period drops to 16 seconds and the combined energy drops to 864 (moderate). The wind goes cross-shore or cross-off, and the overall quality takes a hit. Conditions are still surfable, but it's not the top tier we had Monday and Tuesday. Same story for Thursday the 9th – swell easing, period dropping to 15 seconds, energy down to 544 (moderate). By Thursday afternoon, with risk of thunderstorms and cross-onshore wind, it's looking poor.
Friday the 10th through Sunday the 12th sees a smaller but cleaner pulse. Swell hangs around 3 ft from the SSW/SW, period around 14-15 seconds, and we get plenty of glassy or clean conditions. Combined energy is between 306 and 448 (weak to moderate). It's not the pumping swell of Monday, but for a smaller board, there'll be fun, clean waves, especially Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon when it's flat calm. The standout here is the glassy morning on Saturday the 11th – NE wind at just 3 mph, 3 ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and clean.
From Monday the 13th onwards, the swell drops further. We're looking at 2 ft to 3 ft for most of the second week, with periods mostly 13-14 seconds. Combined energy drops often below 300 (weak). There's a brief uptick on Tuesday the 14th afternoon, with a 2 ft SSW swell from a 14-second period and a gentle offshore breeze – that's the pick of the second week, but it's modest. Wednesday the 15th morning has a light cross-off and 2 ft SW swell, clean but small.
By the end of the window, from the 18th to the 21st of July, we're down to tiny waves – 1-2 ft – with very low energy, often below 200 (weak). The period stays around 13-17 seconds but there's just not enough size. A few sessions might be surfable with a log, but nothing to get excited about. The gap of poor conditions stretches from around the 17th through the 19th.
One thing worth noting: the water temperature is about average for this time of year. No big anomaly, so your usual summer gear will do.
Overall, the standouts are clearly Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th. If you can only pick one session, make it Monday afternoon when it's glassy and still packing a 3 ft, 19-second swell. That's the pick of the entire 16-day run. The rest of the first week has fun waves, but the second week is a real drop-off – just small and inconsistent. Playa Negra can be a bit fickle, but these first days are gold.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 65mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Sat afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sun 12 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
467 | 408 | 738 | 730 | 915 | 1263 | 1179 | 864 | 748 | 657 | 544 | 419 | 309 | 382 | 318 | 403 | 377 | 362 | 323 | 297 | 264 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 6:46AM2.23m | 6:56PM2.05m | 7:28AM2.25m | 7:43PM1.99m | 8:14AM2.26m | 8:38PM1.93m | 9:08AM2.28m | 9:40PM1.91m | 10:09AM2.31m | 10:47PM1.92m | 11:14AM2.36m | 11:56PM2.00m | 12:19PM2.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:25AM0.43m | 12:56PM0.59m | 1:04AM0.47m | 1:44PM0.59m | 1:48AM0.52m | 2:38PM0.57m | 2:39AM0.55m | 3:38PM0.54m | 3:40AM0.55m | 4:43PM0.48m | 4:46AM0.53m | 5:49PM0.38m | 5:55AM0.47m | ||||||||
— | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | |
— | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | |
mm | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 9 | 2 | 46 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
Temp °C | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 31 | 34 | 35 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 30 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
432 | 362 | 738 | 730 | 915 | 1263 | 1179 | 864 | 748 | 657 | 544 | 419 | 309 | 382 | 318 | 403 | 377 | 362 | 323 | 297 | 264 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | S 8 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 6 |
467 | 408 | 465 | 255 | 211 | 51 | 136 | 132 | 110 | 110 | 87 | 85 | 85 | 64 | 58 | 51 | 54 | 48 | 48 | 43 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 8 | — | NNW 6 | W 15 | — | N 5 | SSW 15 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 |
89 | 60 | 56 | 57 | 53 | 73 | 31 | — | 10 | 4 | — | 4 | 47 | 37 | 108 | 62 | 134 | 86 | 71 | 120 | 42 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NNE 5 | N 5 | — | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | — | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | — | NNE 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 7 | — | 7 | 11 | — | 7 | 8 | — | 6 | 4 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Playa Negra Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa Negra provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Playa Negra can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa Negra 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 Negra) 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 Negra 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 Negra is 41 km (25 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.











