Surf Forecasts:
Playa Samara surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period, SSW swell with 356 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m 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 1.2m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Samara over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, but this time in feet and knots.
Right now, the surf is on the small side, but don’t write it off just yet. Playa Samara is a beach and reef setup that’s primarily exposed to SSW swell, and it’s going to have some real highlights scattered through the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 87°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year (anomaly 4°F), so you’ll be surfing in bathwater.
The first real standout is Wednesday morning the 19th – glassy conditions with a light NNE breeze, 3ft of SW swell at a long 15 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (472), and with that long period, the waves will have some real push. The wind is glassy, so it’ll be clean and inviting. The afternoon turns risk of thunderstorms and a cross-on breeze, so the morning is definitely the call.
We’ve got a few days of small but clean options. Thursday morning the 20th is cross-off with 2ft SW swell, and Friday morning the 21st bumps up to 4ft from the SSW with a nice 11-second period, again cross-off wind. Saturday morning the 22nd is similar, 3ft S swell, cross-off, clean. Sunday the 23rd is a bit of a gem – morning cross-off with 2ft SW at 13 seconds, then Sunday afternoon turns glassy with 2ft SW at a very long 18 seconds, combined energy 456. That afternoon session will be smooth and glassy, real nice.
Through the week of the 24th to 27th, the surf stays small, mostly 2ft, but the swell periods are long – 16 to 18 seconds – so even small waves will have shape. The winds are mostly cross-off or glassy in the mornings. The 27th Thursday is a bit of a dud, with tiny 1ft SW at 18 seconds, and afternoon winds will mess it up.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Jump to Friday morning the 28th – 2ft SW at 19 seconds, combined energy jumps to 683, cross-off wind, clean. That’s a solid step up. Then Saturday morning the 29th is the real standout of the whole period: 6ft SW at 16 seconds, combined energy is strong at 1630, glassy wind. This is for experienced surfers – that’s a proper swell, and it’s going to be clean. The swell direction is SW, which matches the optimum SSW direction really well for this break. No crowds are mentioned, but it’s always smart to expect some company at a spot like this.
Sunday morning the 30th is nearly as good – 5ft SW at 15 seconds, glassy, combined energy 1124. Another one for the experienced crew. Monday morning the 31st backs off a bit but still has 4ft SW at 14 seconds, glassy, with 581 energy. That’s a very good morning.
After that, from the 1st of September into the 3rd, the swell drops back to 2ft to 3ft, but the periods stay long (12-17 seconds), and the mornings are mostly glassy or cross-off. It’s still worth a paddle, just smaller.
Overall, the best of the best is Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th – proper swell, glassy wind, and that long-period SW groundswell will line up nicely at Samara. If you can only pick one, Saturday morning the 29th is the call.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
355 | 305 | 238 | 142 | 138 | 286 | 356 | 351 | 279 | 218 | 194 | 151 | 144 | 263 | 260 | 255 | 243 | 322 | 211 | 206 | 191 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off | on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:29PM2.07m | 7:49AM2.22m | 8:19PM1.91m | 8:40AM2.09m | 9:19PM1.80m | 9:41AM1.99m | 10:30PM1.75m | 10:49AM1.97m | 11:41PM1.79m | 11:54AM2.02m | 00:40AM1.89m | 12:49PM2.11m | 1:28AM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:25PM0.51m | 1:31AM0.62m | 2:15PM0.64m | 2:20AM0.76m | 3:13PM0.74m | 3:19AM0.87m | 4:20PM0.79m | 4:28AM0.92m | 5:28PM0.77m | 5:37AM0.89m | 6:27PM0.69m | 6:37AM0.81m | 7:14PM0.58m | ||||||||
5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | |
— | 5:58 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | |
mm | — | 7 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 33 | 34 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | S 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 16 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 |
355 | 113 | 123 | 123 | 138 | 286 | 356 | 351 | 279 | 218 | 194 | 151 | 106 | 109 | 106 | 104 | 102 | 322 | 55 | 50 | 61 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | S 9 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
108 | 305 | 238 | 142 | 138 | 84 | 55 | 55 | 169 | 95 | 134 | 118 | 144 | 263 | 260 | 255 | 243 | 76 | 211 | 206 | 191 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | NW 7 | SW 21 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 11 |
9 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 44 | 36 | 36 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 98 | 97 | 134 | 84 | 79 | 72 | 56 | 36 | 35 | 25 | 31 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 66 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 43 | 9 | 9 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 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.











