Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,314 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 15s 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. 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 1.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) 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 1.5m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Playa Negra.
We’ve got a slow start with a few days of tiny, weak swell before things fire up. The water’s sitting at 86° and that’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be sweating in your wettie.
Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are pretty quiet. Small 2ft SW swell with long 15-18 second periods, but the combined energy is weak (140 to 272). Thursday afternoon does go glassy, so there might be a few clean little ones for a log. Friday morning the 28th sees a bump to 3ft, still on the small side, but the offshore wind kicks in Friday afternoon and things start looking better.
Then we get into the good stuff. Saturday morning the 29th is the first real standout. A clean 5ft SW swell with a 16-second period, combined energy reading 1230 (strong), and a gentle offshore breeze from the east. Conditions are dialed for experienced surfers—this is a proper groundswell that will wrap in nicely off the point. Playa Negra is a beach-and-point setup, so that long period will produce some lined-up walls. The afternoon gets a bit cross-on, so make the most of the morning.
Sunday the 30th still holds at 5ft with moderate energy (958), and a clean cross-off wind in the morning. Good, but not the top pick. Monday the 31st drops to 4ft, still clean, still fun.
After a lull in the first few days of September, we get another gem. Friday morning the 4th of September and Saturday morning the 5th of September are both excellent. Both mornings have 5-5ft SW swell with 17-16 second periods, combined energy over 1200 (strong), and Friday is clean with a light offshore, while Saturday goes glassy. This is proper expert-level swell—size is up but still manageable, and the conditions are as clean as it gets. The Saturday morning glass-off is the pick of the whole run.
The following week sees a few more clean sessions, especially the glassy mornings of Sunday the 6th (4ft) and Tuesday the 8th (2ft but a 19-second period, very clean). Then Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th both have excellent morning surf with 4-5ft SW swell, clean offshore wind, and strong energy (982-1021). The Thursday afternoon session on the 10th is glassy again with 5ft SW and 16-second period—another beauty.
Overall, the best windows are the mornings of August 29, September 4, September 5, and September 10. Crowds are possible at Playa Negra on the good days, so get there early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Wed morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 110 | 107 | 74 | 154 | 155 | 251 | 531 | 358 | 1215 | 1230 | 1314 | 1105 | 911 | 821 | 621 | 451 | 386 | 336 | 260 | 220 | 223 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:34PM2.12m | 2:07AM2.08m | 2:16PM2.21m | 2:44AM2.22m | 2:55PM2.28m | 3:20AM2.35m | 3:32PM2.33m | 3:54AM2.45m | 4:09PM2.34m | 4:30AM2.51m | 4:47PM2.32m | 5:07AM2.53m | 5:26PM2.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:54PM0.47m | 8:08AM0.56m | 8:31PM0.38m | 8:48AM0.45m | 9:06PM0.30m | 9:27AM0.36m | 9:40PM0.25m | 10:04AM0.29m | 10:14PM0.23m | 10:42AM0.25m | 10:50PM0.24m | 11:22AM0.24m | 11:28PM0.27m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 32 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
Feels °C | 34 | 34 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 27 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 35 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 6 | S 8 | SW 12 | SSW 7 |
| kJ | 110 | 53 | 60 | 44 | 45 | 251 | 531 | 358 | 1215 | 1230 | 1314 | 1105 | 911 | 821 | 621 | 451 | 386 | 95 | 193 | 220 | 132 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 11 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 30 | 107 | 74 | 76 | 106 | 34 | 59 | 33 | 195 | 58 | 63 | 66 | 47 | 39 | 18 | 32 | 43 | 336 | 260 | 113 | 223 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | N 4 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 6 | SW 14 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 11 | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 6 | SW 6 | N 4 | W 9 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 30 | 6 | 56 | 154 | 155 | 11 | 158 | 125 | 14 | 38 | — | 18 | 17 | 30 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 84 | 15 | 155 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | — | NNE 5 | N 6 | N 5 | N 5 | — | — | — | N 4 | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | N 5 | — | SSE 7 | — | S 8 | — |
| kJ | 5 | — | 12 | 15 | 11 | 16 | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 13 | — | 195 | — | 216 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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