Surf Forecasts:
Playa Samara surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s 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★+): Friday 4 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 11s. 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 1.7m 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+) | 6PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
| 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
Alright, let’s size this up for Playa Samara over the next couple weeks. The real standout session is Friday morning (September 4th). We’re looking at a 5ft SW groundswell with a very long 17-second period. You can feel the energy in the water – combined swell energy is 1309. The wind is glassy, just a light 3 mph breeze from the ENE. Water temp is 87°, which is much warmer than average for this time of year. This is the morning for experienced surfers to get after it.
Saturday morning (September 5th) is another beauty: 6ft SW swell, still a long 16-second period, and dead calm, no wind at all. Combined swell energy hits 1461. It’s got plenty of power, so it’s for the confident crew, but it will be clean and lined up.
For the rest of that first week, the afternoons get messy with cross-onshore wind and storms brewing. But the mornings are the winning ticket. Sunday morning (September 6th) delivers 5ft SW swell, 14-second period, and glassy conditions (combined energy 879) – a very good session.
We hit a quiet spell from Monday (7th) through Wednesday (9th), with swell dropping to around 3ft, then 3ft, and the wind turning onshore.
Thursday morning (September 10th) brings a decent pulse back: 4ft SW, 17-second period (combined energy 1148), with clean offshore-ish wind from the ENE at 3 mph. That’s another good session for those who can handle it.
Friday morning (September 11th) is similar: 4ft SW, 16-second period, clean conditions. Solid shape.
Moving into the second week, things get smaller. Swell sits mostly under 3ft for the mornings from Saturday (12th) through Tuesday (15th). There are still clean, glassy windows, but the waves are small – around 2ft to 3ft. Good for a longboard, but not much power.
One interesting note: the morning of Friday, September 18th shows a 2ft swell with a very long 21-second period (combined energy 612). That’s a super long-period groundswell. On a beach break like Playa Samara, those long period swells can get a bit fat and straight, but with light glassy wind from the NNE at 3 mph, there might be some clean little runners if you pick your tide.
Bottom line: Friday morning (4th September) is the one to circle. Saturday morning (5th) is a close second. After that, get up early for the cleanest conditions.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 30°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 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 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1174 | 1537 | 1314 | 1420 | 1412 | 868 | 833 | 667 | 581 | 500 | 357 | 286 | 249 | 224 | 302 | 367 | 669 | 871 | 1074 | 728 | 719 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 1:04PM2.42m | 1:38AM2.49m | 1:57PM2.52m | 2:25AM2.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 6:52AM0.46m | 7:21PM0.27m | 7:48AM0.31m | 8:09PM0.17m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | — | 3 | 10 | — | 4 | 9 | — | 9 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 |
Temp °C | 31 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 28 |
Feels °C | 34 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | 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 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 1174 | 1537 | 1314 | 1420 | 1412 | 868 | 833 | 667 | 581 | 500 | 357 | 286 | 249 | 199 | 302 | 367 | 669 | 871 | 1074 | 728 | 719 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WNW 9 | W 9 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 7 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 107 | 91 | 89 | 16 | 13 | 23 | 33 | 45 | 63 | 43 | 45 | 26 | 54 | 41 | 114 | 116 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 73 | 68 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 11 | W 9 | SSW 11 | W 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | S 6 | SW 18 | SW 17 | W 7 | SW 19 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 28 | 24 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 19 | 96 | 95 | 27 | 246 | 224 | 23 | 234 | 35 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 9 | 9 | 88 | 9 | 34 | 87 | 9 | 9 | 53 | 9 | 9 | 43 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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