
Surf Forecasts:
Playa Samara surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,567 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 19s 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 16s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Samara in the next 16 days are 1.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Playa Samara. The pattern is a persistent SW groundswell running through the whole 16-day window, with some real standout mornings for the crew who can get out there early.
The week kicks off on Thursday the 3rd with a clean, 2ft SW groundswell hitting at 19 seconds – that’s a very long period, meaning proper lines but watch for it to jack up a bit quick on the beach sections. The combined swell energy is moderate (679). Winds are light cross-off from the ENE, so the surface will be tidy. Friday the 4th is your first real highlight: morning glass with an ENE breeze at 3 mph and the swell building to 4ft from the SW, period 17 seconds, and the combined energy kicking into strong territory (1197). This is clean, classic stuff for experienced surfers. Saturday morning the 5th is another cracker – glassy conditions with NNE 3 mph and 6ft SW swell at 16 seconds (combined energy 1602). That’s getting into the zone where it’s too big for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of time in the water, it’ll be pumping. Sunday the 6th holds at 5ft SW with a 14-second period and glassy SSE winds – still very good, with moderate-strong energy (880).
Monday the 7th serves up absolute glass – dead calm, zero wind, and a 4ft SW swell at 14 seconds (615). That’s a magical morning. Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th see the swell drop back to 3ft but with clean morning glass and solid 13 to 16-second periods; combined energy sits around 505 to 748 – moderate wave energy, but the quality is there. Thursday the 10th brings another excellent morning: 4ft SW at 17 seconds (1168) with NE 6 mph cross-off winds. Clean and punchy.
The second week settles into a similar groove. Saturday the 12th morning is clean with 4ft SW at 14 seconds (502) and glassy ENE breeze. Sunday the 13th starts with 3ft SW at 13 seconds (259) and glass – small but fun. Monday the 14th brings a surprise: 2ft SW but with a 19-second period (331) – that’ll be long, peeling lines if you know where to sit. Wednesday the 16th is glassy calm again, dead wind, with 3ft SW at 16 seconds (562). Then Thursday the 17th morning sees a 2ft SW at a whopping 24 seconds – combined energy 903 – cross-off WNW wind keeping it clean. That’s a very long period groundswell, so look for the point or reef sections; it might wrap around better. Friday the 18th morning wraps it up with 3ft SW at 21 seconds (905) and glass.
The best on offer is Saturday morning the 5th – 6ft SW swell, 16-second period, glassy NNE breeze, and strong energy. That’s the standout. Friday morning the 4th and Thursday morning the 10th are close runners-up for clean, solid conditions. Crowds are sometimes a factor at Playa Samara, so it’s worth paddling out early.
Overall, there are no real gaps in the surf – it’s pretty consistent through the whole period. Water temp is about average for the time of year. The long-period swells (19s and above) are best on the reef and point sections, where they won’t close out as quickly. If it’s too big for you on Saturday, the beach breaks might be more for the kite crew.
Stay stoked, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 30°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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 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 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
314 | 296 | 418 | 881 | 1062 | 1537 | 1438 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | 833 | 667 | 521 | 500 | 357 | 286 | 249 | 290 | 302 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 6:29AM2.54m | 6:57PM2.20m | 7:20AM2.43m | 7:54PM2.09m | 8:21AM2.32m | 9:03PM2.01m | 9:33AM2.25m | 10:23PM2.02m | 10:50AM2.25m | 11:39PM2.13m | 12:02PM2.32m | 00:44AM2.31m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:11AM0.36m | 12:51PM0.36m | 00:59AM0.46m | 1:46PM0.45m | 1:57AM0.57m | 2:52PM0.53m | 3:08AM0.66m | 4:07PM0.55m | 4:29AM0.67m | 5:21PM0.50m | 5:46AM0.59m | 6:26PM0.39m | |||||||
— | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | 3 | 5 | — | 2 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 |
187 | 239 | 418 | 881 | 1062 | 1537 | 1438 | 1552 | 1164 | 868 | 833 | 667 | 521 | 500 | 357 | 286 | 249 | 290 | 302 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 9 | W 9 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 12 |
314 | 144 | 158 | 105 | 107 | 91 | 14 | 25 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 44 | 40 | 19 | 28 | 17 | 246 | 227 | 114 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SW 19 | SW 15 | W 9 | SW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | W 11 | W 11 |
18 | 296 | 215 | 14 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 96 | 95 | 155 | 10 | 61 | 62 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 9 | 178 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 88 | 16 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 43 | 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.










