Surf Forecasts:
Playa Negra surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 21s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 19s period, SW swell with 1,210 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 19s 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 19s 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 1.3m 19s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) 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 1.0m 13s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Negra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk surf in feet and miles per hour. Playa Negra’s been serving up a steady mix of SW groundswell, and while the direction isn’t perfect (optimum would be WNW), the winds are lining up nicely. Water’s about average for the time of year – no temperature anomaly to speak of. The break is
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Sun morning, min 24°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Fri morning, min 23°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 18 | SW 24 | SW 9 | SW 21 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 286 | 217 | 194 | 192 | 366 | 361 | 370 | 301 | 293 | 250 | 173 | 161 | 92 | 93 | 40 | 93 | 661 | 271 | 1015 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:15AM2.54m | 6:31PM2.31m | 7:02AM2.45m | 7:20PM2.15m | 7:48AM2.33m | 8:10PM2.00m | 8:37AM2.20m | 9:04PM1.86m | 9:29AM2.09m | 10:03PM1.77m | 10:25AM2.02m | 11:07PM1.72m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:56PM0.10m | 12:28PM0.30m | 00:41AM0.24m | 1:19PM0.40m | 1:27AM0.40m | 2:10PM0.51m | 2:15AM0.55m | 3:04PM0.60m | 3:06AM0.68m | 4:02PM0.67m | 4:03AM0.76m | 5:03PM0.69m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | |  | |  | |  | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 |
Temp °C | 28 | 31 | 31 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 25 |
Feels °C | 28 | 33 | 35 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 32 | 33 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SW 8 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 8 |
| kJ | 286 | 276 | 239 | 247 | 366 | 361 | 370 | 228 | 293 | 250 | 66 | 84 | 89 | 72 | 66 | 93 | 249 | 268 | 250 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 15 | SSW 6 | S 7 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 8 | S 7 | SW 24 | SW 24 | SW 21 |
| kJ | 31 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 212 | 146 | 144 | 301 | 44 | 48 | 173 | 161 | 92 | 93 | 40 | 47 | 661 | 271 | 1015 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | W 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | N 5 | SW 18 | SW 13 | N 5 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 96 | 217 | 194 | 192 | 34 | 36 | 49 | 10 | 101 | 99 | 63 | 40 | 39 | 19 | 11 | 79 | 57 | 11 | 90 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNE 3 | N 3 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | — | — | NNE 3 | N 5 | NNE 3 | NE 3 | — | N 5 | NNE 5 | — | NE 3 | N 4 | — | — |
| kJ | 32 | 2 | 5 | 37 | 39 | — | — | 9 | 25 | 7 | 3 | — | 23 | 14 | — | 2 | 13 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guanacaste | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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