Surf Forecasts:
Playa Samara surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,438 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa Samara this week:
The surf forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Samara in the next 16 days are 1.7m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with the imperial take.
Things are looking up and down at Playa Samara. The first couple of days are a bust – Tuesday the 1st is just onshore junk. Your first real chance is Wednesday morning the 2nd of September: a clean 2ft SW groundswell with a 18-second period and glassy north-west winds. Energy is moderate (523). The water is a touch warmer than average for this time at 86°, so it’s a nice start. This spot can be a bit inconsistent, so grab those glassy windows.
The big winner is Friday the 4th of September. Early morning you get a clean 5ft SW groundswell, 17-second period, dead calm winds and mirror-flat conditions. The combined energy is a strong 1455 – that’s proper power. This is expert territory; the beginners will want to sit this one out. Crowds are possible, but that quality makes it worthwhile. The swell direction is perfect for this exposed beach and reef.
Saturday the 5th morning is close behind: 6ft SW swell, still glassy, with energy at 1470. Friday just edges it with the longer period.
The second week drops off. Mornings like Thursday the 10th and Monday the 14th offer small, clean waves around 3ft, but energy fades into the moderate and weaker range. After the 12th, you’ll have a few rough, flat days to wait through. The long-range stuff around the 15th looks small but clean – keep it on the radar.
Bottom line: ignore the early slop, and get out there Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th mornings. That’s your best surf.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 43mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri morning, min 25°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 451 | 386 | 331 | 301 | 252 | 220 | 246 | 326 | 314 | 296 | 418 | 881 | 1297 | 1415 | 1314 | 1420 | 1412 | 868 | 746 | 667 | 521 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:47PM2.44m | 5:06AM2.65m | 5:26PM2.39m | 5:45AM2.61m | 6:09PM2.30m | 6:29AM2.54m | 6:57PM2.20m | 7:20AM2.43m | 7:54PM2.09m | 8:21AM2.32m | 9:03PM2.01m | 9:33AM2.25m | 10:23PM2.02m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:42AM0.24m | 10:50PM0.24m | 11:21AM0.24m | 11:28PM0.28m | 12:04PM0.28m | 00:11AM0.36m | 12:51PM0.36m | 00:59AM0.46m | 1:46PM0.45m | 1:57AM0.57m | 2:52PM0.53m | 3:08AM0.66m | 4:07PM0.55m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — |
mm | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 10 | — | 4 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 4 |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 451 | 386 | 331 | 301 | 252 | 62 | 241 | 238 | 149 | 144 | 418 | 881 | 1297 | 1415 | 1314 | 1420 | 1412 | 868 | 746 | 667 | 521 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 18 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | W 9 | W 9 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 12 | 12 | 22 | 33 | 112 | 220 | 36 | 326 | 314 | 239 | 215 | 34 | 133 | 103 | 88 | 25 | 25 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 39 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | SSW 20 | W 9 | SW 18 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SW 19 | SW 12 | SW 11 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | SSW 11 | W 11 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 5 | 37 | 14 | 84 | 5 | 112 | 246 | 30 | 30 | 296 | 112 | 58 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 25 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 6 | — | ENE 3 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 8 | — | 3 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 45 | 9 | 16 | 257 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 16 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 16 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Samara 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 Samara Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa Samara provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Playa Samara can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa Samara 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 Samara) 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 Samara 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 Samara is 31 km (19 miles) from Nicoya. If you plan a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya, 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