
Surf Forecasts:
Playa Samara surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 435 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 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 Monday (Aug 03) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 7s. 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 1.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) 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 0.3m 2s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watchin’ the charts for Playa Samara. Let’s get into it.
Right off the bat, the water here is sitting at 86° — that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be in for a warm dip.
The first real surf worth paddling out for is Sunday morning, August 2nd. It’s small, around 2ft from the SW, but that’s a long-period groundswell at 15 seconds, so there’s some decent energy in the water (278). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the ENE, so the waves will be clean. A beginner-friendly little session.
Then there’s a bit of a gap through Monday and Tuesday mornings with similar small clean waves, but the standout mornings are Wednesday August 5th and Thursday August 6th. Wednesday morning is glassy — dead calm — with 3ft from the SSW, though the period is short at 8 seconds, so it’s a bit weak. Thursday morning is also glassy with 3ft from the S, still short period. Good for a fun small-wave cruise.
Now, Friday August 7th morning is where things start to perk up. The swell is only 2ft, but it’s a long-period groundswell from the SSW at 18 seconds, and the energy jumps to 473. The wind is cross-off from the NE, so it’s clean. A bit inconsistent between sets, but the wait is worth it.
The real standout is Saturday August 8th morning. That’s your best bet for the first week. Clean offshore wind from the NNE, 3ft from the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy is solid at 558. Expect very good, clean waves — a perfect morning for a longboard or a funboard.
The next big highlight is the morning of Friday August 14th. That’s over a week away, so the forecast is promising but not locked in. Swell builds to 3ft from the SW, but the period is a very long 18 seconds, and the energy is through the roof at 1056. That’s strong wave energy. The late morning glass-off on the 14th afternoon is also excellent, with 4ft from the SW and glassy conditions. This is for experienced surfers — the swell is pushing 4ft, and with that long period, it’ll be powerful and best handled at the reef section.
Sunday August 16th and Monday August 17th finish the run with clean morning options around 4ft from the SW, good energy, and light offshore or glassy winds. Solid end to the outlook.
Overall, the mornings are where it’s at. The afternoons often get a tricky onshore or cross-onshore wind and sometimes thunderstorms. Stick to the early sessions. Playa Samara is a beach and reef setup, fairly consistent, and with that warm water, you’ll be smiling.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Mon morning, min 26°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 30°C on Wed morning, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
136 | 171 | 167 | 253 | 212 | 91 | 128 | 115 | 109 | 104 | 82 | 104 | 95 | 153 | 212 | 209 | 305 | 376 | 367 | 435 | 305 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | on | cross-on | off | on | glassy | off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:11PM2.36m | 5:37AM2.50m | 5:49PM2.31m | 6:14AM2.50m | 6:30PM2.23m | 6:55AM2.47m | 7:17PM2.14m | 7:43AM2.42m | 8:11PM2.06m | 8:39AM2.37m | 9:16PM1.99m | 9:46AM2.34m | 10:31PM2.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:09AM0.43m | 11:19PM0.31m | 11:47AM0.42m | 11:55PM0.36m | 12:29PM0.44m | 00:34AM0.41m | 1:15PM0.47m | 1:19AM0.48m | 2:08PM0.51m | 2:13AM0.56m | 3:11PM0.53m | 3:18AM0.61m | 4:21PM0.52m | ||||||||
5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | |
— | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | 3 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 11 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | 11 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 34 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 15 | S 7 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 6 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
110 | 171 | 51 | 253 | 212 | 91 | 115 | 115 | 109 | 104 | 82 | 104 | 95 | 70 | 131 | 96 | 151 | 376 | 367 | 435 | 305 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSW 11 | SW 14 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 9 | S 9 |
32 | 85 | 167 | 51 | 71 | 82 | 128 | 77 | 73 | 50 | 49 | 75 | 70 | 153 | 212 | 168 | 305 | 144 | 139 | 55 | 55 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | WNW 11 | SSW 12 | WNW 10 | SW 16 | SW 13 | SW 10 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 6 | SW 11 | SW 11 | S 11 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | WSW 6 | SW 11 |
136 | 23 | 98 | 19 | 68 | 84 | 15 | 38 | 36 | 54 | 10 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 159 | 209 | 57 | 55 | 52 | 3 | 76 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 52 | 16 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 43 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 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.











