Playa Samara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right now, Playa Samara (Nicoya) is looking at a run of small but clean waves for a few days, but don't get too attached – this stretch has a real mix of good mornings and iffy afternoons.

Tuesday morning (Sept 15) is a nice place to start. We’ve got some clouds, a light cross-offshore breeze out of the NNE at 6 mph, and 2ft of southwest swell. That’s not much on the face, but the period is a long 18 seconds, so there’s some push behind it. The water is sitting at 86.7°, which is a couple of degrees warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s noticeable, feels like a bath. Combined energy is moderate at 563, so it’s not flat, just small. Clean, workable, and a good one for the loggers or beginners. By Tuesday afternoon, the wind switches to glassy, the swell bumps to 3ft at 17 seconds, and it’s all smooth. This is your best bet for the first day – glassy, clean, and the swell is starting to fill in a touch.

Wednesday morning (Sept 16) holds that glassy early vibe, with the swell up to 3.3ft at 16 seconds. Still clean, still offshore-ish energy from the ENE at 3 mph. But Wednesday afternoon turns a bit cross-onshore at 6 mph, and the surface picks up some ripples. Not terrible, but the magic is gone.

Thursday morning (Sept 17) is a standout in this early run – clear skies, light cross-offshore from the ENE at 3 mph, and 3.3ft of SW swell at 14 seconds. Clean, lined up, and the energy is moderate (619). This is the pick of the first few days. Thursday afternoon fades to cross-on with more ripples – surfable, but you’ll be working for it.

Friday morning (Sept 18) drops to 2.6ft at 13 seconds but stays clean with a NE cross-off. Okay for a soft day, nothing special. Saturday morning (Sept 19) goes glassy again with 2ft at 19 seconds – that long period is there, but it’s really small. Fine for a cruise, not for anything serious.

Then there’s a little reset. Sunday and Monday (Sept 20-21) bring back some size – 3ft to 3.6ft with longer periods (17-19 seconds). The mornings are glassy or light cross-on, with combined energy jumping to 700-797. These mornings are decent. Sunday morning especially – glassy, 3ft at 19 seconds, clean face. But the afternoons get a bit more wind. Monday afternoon goes glassy though, which is a nice surprise.

Now, here’s where the trouble starts. From Tuesday Sept 22 through Thursday Sept 24, the winds get more onshore and the swell drops back to 2.6-3.3ft. Mornings are marginal at best, afternoons choppy or with onshore junk. This stretch is not worth your time unless you’re desperate.

Then Friday Sept 25 – this is where it gets real. The morning shows a big surge: 7.9ft of SW swell at just 9 seconds. That’s a lot of raw energy (1069), but the period is short and the wind is onshore at 3 mph from the south. That’s a messy, crumbly wave. The afternoon is worse – 6.9ft at 8 seconds, cross-onshore at 9 mph, and the comment says poor. This is too big for the beginners, and honestly, even for the better surfers, it’s going to be a washing machine. The Saturday Sept 26 run continues the trend – 5.6ft at 9 seconds with cross-onshore winds. Choppy, lumpy, and not inviting. That whole stretch from Sept 25-26 is more about staying out of the water than getting in it.

After that, it settles back down. Sunday Sept 27 has 3.6ft at 13 seconds but with onshore winds, so it’s still messy. Monday Sept 28 and Tuesday Sept 29 are rough – onshore winds, dropping quality, and by Tuesday afternoon there’s a 5.2ft, 7-second windswell that’s straight onshore. That’s junk.

Wednesday Sept 30 – the last day in the window – shows a small pickup with 2.3ft at 14 seconds in the morning but cross-on, and then the afternoon jumps to 4.9ft at 8 seconds with onshore wind. That’s another short-period, onshore mess.

So here’s the bottom line. The best surf on offer in this whole 16-day run is Thursday morning Sept 17 – 3.3ft of clean SW swell, light offshore, moderate energy, and a

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