Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with 326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 13s 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 13) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 13s 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 1.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 13s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
Alright, grab your board, let’s talk about what’s cooking for Playa Negra.
Right off the bat, the water here is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, sitting at 86°. That’s nice, but the surf is a bit of a slow burner for the first week. Don’t get too excited for the next few days – the waves are small and the conditions are pretty ordinary.
Tuesday afternoon (the 14th) is where things first turn the corner. We’ve got a glassy surface with a light breeze, and a clean 2ft SSW swell pushing in with moderate energy (499). That’s a solid little window.
Wednesday morning (15th) is also worth a paddle before work. A clean 2ft SSW swell with a gentle offshore wind – that’s Playa Negra doing its thing. But Wednesday afternoon turns onshore and gets messy, so bail out early.
The next real standout comes on Friday the 17th. The afternoon sees an offshore breeze cleaning up a 3ft SSW swell, and the energy is solid again (357). That’s your pick for the end of the first week.
Saturday the 18th afternoon is glassy with similar-sized waves, so if you miss Friday, that’s your backup.
Now, looking into the second week, things start to get interesting. The standout window is Sunday the 26th through Monday the 27th. Sunday morning delivers a clean 3ft SW swell with a gentle offshore breeze and very strong energy (650). Monday morning cranks it up a notch – 4ft SW swell, offshore wind at 12 mph, and the energy jumps to 751. This is the best on offer for the whole forecast. It’s pushing into expert territory at that size, but with such long period (17-19 seconds) the waves will have real power and shape, though it might break a bit straight at the beach. For a reef or point like this, that long period is a blessing.
The rest of the second week is small and inconsistent, but that final weekend punch makes it worth waiting for.
So, the gold star goes to Monday the 27th morning at Playa Negra. Get on it.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Fri morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 318 | 164 | 200 | 125 | 88 | 140 | 207 | 144 | 181 | 196 | 206 | 196 | 326 | 103 | 75 | 229 | 232 | 206 | 164 | 286 | 217 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross-off | glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:01AM2.12m | 1:21PM2.52m | 2:01AM2.26m | 2:19PM2.59m | 2:57AM2.41m | 3:13PM2.63m | 3:50AM2.52m | 4:05PM2.62m | 4:40AM2.59m | 4:55PM2.56m | 5:28AM2.59m | 5:43PM2.45m | 6:15AM2.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:51PM0.26m | 7:00AM0.37m | 7:49PM0.14m | 8:02AM0.28m | 8:43PM0.03m | 9:00AM0.20m | 9:34PM-0.03m | 9:55AM0.16m | 10:23PM-0.05m | 10:47AM0.16m | 11:10PM0.00m | 11:38AM0.21m | 11:56PM0.10m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 |
 | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:07 | — | 6:07 |
mm | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 7 | 4 | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 30 |
Feels °C | 32 | 27 | 33 | 35 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 27 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 7 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 14 | N 5 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 13 |
| kJ | 318 | 47 | 200 | 125 | 159 | 155 | 207 | 36 | 181 | 196 | 206 | 196 | 326 | 203 | 195 | 229 | 232 | 206 | 164 | 286 | 355 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SW 13 | S 7 | S 7 | N 4 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 6 | S 7 |
| kJ | 37 | 164 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 140 | 140 | 139 | 164 | 129 | 80 | 91 | 40 | 68 | 67 | 76 | 140 | 150 | 146 | 12 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | SSW 14 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 13 | S 6 | SW 18 | SW 13 | N 5 | SSW 16 | N 5 | S 13 | WSW 20 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 12 | S 16 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 10 | 63 | 134 | 132 | 88 | 18 | 152 | 144 | 13 | 86 | 11 | 89 | 39 | 103 | 75 | 52 | 81 | 113 | 129 | 96 | 217 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NNE 4 | — | — | — | NNE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | N 4 | NNE 5 | N 5 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | N 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 3 |
| kJ | 3 | 15 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 10 | 24 | 16 | 19 | 37 | 8 | 19 | 6 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
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.
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