Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SW swell with 539 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 14s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Negra in the next 16 days are 1.1m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 11s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here again. Looking at the same run in feet and degrees, the story is the same.
We’re only looking at Playa Negra for the whole 16 days. It’s an advanced spot, consistent, exposed to the WNW. Water temp is about average for this time of year.
The first pulse hits Tuesday, 18 August with 4ft at 14 seconds from the SW, a light ENE offshore, and a combined energy of 428 (moderate). Clean. The afternoon drops to 3ft. Wednesday, 19 August, holds 3ft at 15 seconds, still offshore. Thursday, 20 August, the morning drops to 2ft (144 energy), and the afternoon turns cross-on. Friday, 21 August, is tiny at 1ft with a glass-off afternoon. Saturday, 22 August, stays small, 2–2ft. Sunday, 23 August, the morning has 2ft but the period jumps to 19 seconds, with a clean offshore wind (300 energy). Monday, 24 August, the morning is 2ft at 18 seconds with a moderate offshore (327). Tuesday, 25 August, stays small. Wednesday, 26 August, is a poor one. Thursday, 27 August, the morning is glassy with 1ft at 18 seconds (269). Friday, 28 August, the morning bumps to 3ft at 16 seconds with a clean offshore (440).
The standouts are Saturday, 29 August, morning – 5ft from the SW at 17 seconds, a light offshore from the NE, and a combined energy of 1181 (strong). This is the best of the run. Clean, powerful, excellent for experienced surfers. Sunday, 30 August, morning, holds 5ft at 15 seconds with an offshore wind (1072) – another strong session. The afternoons get cross-on both days. Monday, 31 August, morning has 5ft at 14 seconds (791). Tuesday, 1 September, morning is glassy at 3ft (479). Wednesday, 2 September, morning is glassy at 2ft with a 18-second period (500) – a lovely, long-period glass-off.
The two mornings to circle are the 29th and 30th of August. Long-period groundswell, offshore winds, real energy. Crowds are possible, so get out early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 9 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 428 | 395 | 539 | 355 | 350 | 238 | 144 | 138 | 83 | 76 | 54 | 102 | 95 | 155 | 84 | 184 | 260 | 330 | 255 | 305 | 322 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 6:44PM2.14m | 7:05AM2.29m | 7:29PM1.98m | 7:50AM2.14m | 8:18PM1.83m | 8:41AM2.01m | 9:17PM1.72m | 9:41AM1.93m | 10:26PM1.67m | 10:47AM1.90m | 11:36PM1.70m | 11:51AM1.94m | 00:36AM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:41PM0.36m | 00:48AM0.43m | 1:27PM0.49m | 1:31AM0.58m | 2:16PM0.61m | 2:20AM0.71m | 3:14PM0.71m | 3:17AM0.81m | 4:20PM0.75m | 4:24AM0.86m | 5:27PM0.74m | 5:33AM0.85m | 6:26PM0.67m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — |
mm | 5 | 11 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | 5 | — | — | 3 | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 31 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 33 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 32 | 27 | 34 | 31 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | S 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 428 | 395 | 539 | 355 | 350 | 111 | 118 | 123 | 270 | 345 | 345 | 345 | 269 | 198 | 154 | 109 | 106 | 83 | 81 | 305 | 322 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | N 4 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 9 |
| kJ | 98 | 100 | 95 | 89 | 88 | 238 | 144 | 138 | 83 | 76 | 54 | 102 | 95 | 155 | 14 | 85 | 260 | 330 | 255 | 80 | 81 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | N 4 | S 12 | NNE 4 | NNW 4 | N 5 | S 13 | N 5 | SSW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 17 | N 4 | SW 20 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 74 | 6 | 98 | 84 | 184 | 84 | 75 | 72 | 69 | 36 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 4 | — | — | — | N 5 | — | N 4 | N 4 | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NNE 5 | N 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 3 | N 5 | N 5 |
| kJ | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | 11 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 17 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 10 | 11 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Playa Negra 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 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.
Nearest