Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,151 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 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 11) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 14s 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 1.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down Playa Negra for the next couple of weeks.
It starts off a bit slow, but the real standout is Sunday the 16th of August. That morning we’ve got a glassy 4ft SW groundswell with a period around 15 seconds – that’s some juicy, long-period energy. The water is sitting at 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The swell is coming from the SSW, which isn’t the absolute best direction, but the wave energy is moderate (606) and the calm, glassy conditions will make it clean as a whistle. This is the one to circle.
Leading up to that, Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th are pretty weak – small 3-3ft swell and a fresh breeze, so just marginal. Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th sees a slow build: Wednesday morning offers 2ft with a gentle offshore, and by Friday morning we’re at 4ft with moderate energy (911) and clean cross-offshore winds. Friday afternoon gets a bit choppy though.
Saturday the 15th gets solid. Morning shows 5ft from the SW with moderate wind, but the afternoon drops to 4ft with clean conditions – that’ll be a good session. Then Sunday the 16th is the real gem as I said.
After that, from Monday the 17th through Tuesday the 18th, we have consistent 4ft SW groundswell with clean morning winds. By Wednesday the 19th, the swell drops to 3ft and the wind stays clean. However, from the 20th onward, the swell fades fast – down to 2ft and smaller for most of the second week, with some clean but weak mornings. There’s a little pulse on the 23rd with 2ft SW and a very long period of 19 seconds, but the energy is low (279) and the wind is a bit stiffer. The second week is really only for the keen on a longboard.
Overall, the best bet is that glassy Sunday the 16th. The crowds can be an issue here, so get in early. The point and beach setup means that long period swell like we’ll see on the 16th can offer up some proper walls if you get the tide right.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 50mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 20 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 253 | 218 | 375 | 212 | 211 | 206 | 181 | 176 | 255 | 373 | 911 | 881 | 1050 | 1109 | 897 | 1041 | 606 | 606 | 598 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 00:51AM2.12m | 1:11PM2.42m | 1:50AM2.30m | 2:08PM2.50m | 2:43AM2.46m | 3:00PM2.56m | 3:32AM2.58m | 3:48PM2.56m | 4:17AM2.64m | 4:34PM2.52m | 5:00AM2.63m | 5:18PM2.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:53AM0.42m | 7:36PM0.20m | 7:55AM0.31m | 8:28PM0.09m | 8:50AM0.21m | 9:16PM0.02m | 9:40AM0.14m | 10:01PM0.01m | 10:28AM0.13m | 10:44PM0.05m | 11:13AM0.17m | 11:26PM0.15m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 18 |
Temp °C | 28 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 29 | 36 | 33 | 32 | 36 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 30 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 36 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 7 |
| kJ | 171 | 218 | 268 | 212 | 211 | 206 | 82 | 74 | 255 | 248 | 911 | 881 | 1050 | 1109 | 897 | 1041 | 606 | 606 | 166 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | S 9 | SW 18 | S 9 | SW 13 | S 9 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 8 | SW 20 | S 8 | SW 14 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 87 | 37 | 375 | 57 | 136 | 55 | 181 | 176 | 71 | 373 | 41 | 251 | 136 | 136 | 134 | 129 | 61 | 74 | 598 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 20 | SW 18 | S 8 | SW 18 | S 9 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 14 | SW 21 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 20 | SW 10 | N 5 | SW 8 | S 11 | N 5 | S 11 |
| kJ | 253 | 157 | 35 | 152 | 57 | 128 | 71 | 91 | 154 | 57 | 64 | 160 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 59 | 23 | 21 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NE 4 | NE 4 | N 4 | NNE 5 | N 6 | — | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | — | N 5 | NNE 5 | — | NNE 6 |
| kJ | 13 | 9 | — | — | 4 | — | 5 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 15 | — | 19 | 22 | — | 11 | 22 | — | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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)
Latest Updates
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