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, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,552 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 14s 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. 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 1.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 6AM. 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 Monday (Sep 07) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a long look at what's happening at our local wave. It's a bit of a slow start, but there's some proper magic brewing if you're patient.
The overall pattern is a slow, steady pulse of south-west swell that builds through the end of August and the first week of September. The start is pretty marginal, but by the end of the first week, we’ve got some standouts. There’s a real gap of nothing special early on, so keep your expectations in check until we hit Thursday the 4th.
Right now, on Sunday the 30th of August, it’s a bit average. Playa Samara is seeing a 5ft swell from the SW, but the cross-on wind is messing it up. The water's a balmy 87°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a very unusual 4°F anomaly, so you can leave the wetsuit at home. The wave energy is moderate, coming in at 878. It's surfable, but don't expect clean perfection.
Monday the 31st offers a real tease. The morning is glassy with a 4ft SW swell and a period of 13 seconds, and that’s the pick of the early days. But it drops off hard in the afternoon when the wind swings onshore.
Tuesday morning the 1st of September is another glassy start, with a 3ft SW swell, but it's small. The afternoon turns poor again.
Wednesday morning the 2nd is interesting. It’s glassy calm with a tiny 2ft swell, but the period stretches way out to 18 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, and the energy jumps up to a moderate 527. This is the kind of day where a point break or a reef might turn a tiny swell into something fun and lined up, but at a beach break it might just roll straight through. Still, worth a look for the uber-patient.
Now, Thursday the 4th of September is the first true standout. The morning session is the one to aim for. We’re looking at a clean 5ft SW swell with a solid 17-second period and the wind is glassy – dead calm. The combined energy really kicks into gear at 1471, which is a strong, powerful push. For experienced surfers, this is going to be excellent. The early bird gets the cleanest waves here.
Friday the 5th of September morning is almost as good. A slightly bigger 6ft swell from the SW, still with a long 16-second period and glassy offshore winds from the SE. The energy is strong at 1616. This is bigger, so if you're not confident in the water, maybe sit this one out. For the crew who know what they're doing, it’s going to be pumping.
After that, the swell eases back down through the second week. There are plenty of glassy mornings from the 7th through the 11th of September with clean, small waves in the 3ft to 4ft range. The water stays warm and the conditions are consistently good for fun, smaller waves. The best of those later mornings is probably Thursday the 10th of September with a 4ft SW swell at 15 seconds and glassy winds. It's not a stand-out like the 4th and 5th, but a very solid fun-size day.
The run from the 12th of September onward really tails off. The swell drops to under 3ft, and the wind turns messy. You’re not missing anything if you take a break then.
So, to sum it up: the first three days are a write-off for any quality. The real gold is Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th of September mornings. Those are the ones to circle on the calendar – potential perfection for the experienced crew. After that, look for the glassy windows in the second week for a fun paddle in smaller, cleaner surf.
Stay stoked, catch you in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
821 | 621 | 451 | 386 | 331 | 301 | 252 | 220 | 246 | 326 | 314 | 239 | 418 | 881 | 1297 | 1537 | 1314 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross |
High Tide | 4:09PM2.46m | 4:29AM2.63m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:14PM0.23m | 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 | ||||||||
— | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | |
5:52 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | |
mm | 1 | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
Temp °C | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
821 | 621 | 451 | 386 | 331 | 301 | 252 | 53 | 241 | 238 | 149 | 239 | 418 | 881 | 1297 | 1537 | 1314 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 8 | S 6 | WSW 6 | S 7 | S 6 | SW 18 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | W 9 | S 7 | SSW 7 |
45 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 22 | 41 | 112 | 220 | 40 | 326 | 314 | 144 | 215 | 34 | 133 | 103 | 88 | 25 | 88 | 82 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 15 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | SSW 20 | W 9 | SW 18 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SW 12 | SW 11 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | S 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
4 | 8 | 3 | 37 | 14 | 84 | 5 | 112 | 246 | 41 | 32 | 35 | 142 | 58 | 41 | 41 | 45 | 39 | 26 | 26 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | — | — | S 6 | — | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | — | — | 12 | — | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 66 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 178 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











