
Surf Forecasts:
Playa Santa Catalina surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 16s period, SSW swell with 674 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa Santa Catalina this week:
The surf forecast for Playa Santa Catalina over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Santa Catalina in the next 16 days are 1.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (EST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Santa Catalina over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaking for the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a solid run of surf on the way, kicking off this Thursday morning. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 85°, so it’s a bit toastier than usual.
The real standout is Saturday morning, the 5th of September. Playa Santa Catalina is looking absolutely prime. We’ve got a clean 4 ft swell rolling in from the SSW, with a period of 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, full of energy. The combined energy is strong at 687, and with the wind going glassy, flat calm, it’s going to be as clean as it gets. This is a point break that’s very consistent, and it’s exposed to the SSW swell, so it’s set up perfectly. This is the session to aim for if you’re an advanced surfer.
Thursday morning, the 3rd, is a good warm-up. A clean 3 ft SSW swell with a 12-second period and a light cross-offshore NNE breeze at 10 km/h. The combined energy is moderate at 404, but the conditions are clean. Friday morning, the 4th, is also a beauty. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the SSW, the period jumps to 17 seconds, and the wind goes offshore from the NNE at 10 km/h. The energy is building to 654. It’s a step up in quality.
Sunday morning, the 6th, is another glassy morning with a 3 ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and moderate energy at 482. It’s good, but not the standout of Saturday. Monday morning, the 7th, stays clean with a 3 ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the NE. The energy is 528.
After that, the swell hangs around in the 2 ft to 3 ft range through the middle of the week, with mostly clean mornings. The mornings on the 10th and 11th are worth a look, with clean conditions and 2 ft to 3 ft SSW swell. The 10th morning has a 18-second period, which is a very long period groundswell, so the sets will be powerful but spaced out.
There’s a bit of a lull from the 12th into the 14th, with the swell dropping to 1 ft to 2 ft. It’s not flat, but it’s ordinary. The energy dips low, down to 170. Things pick up again on the 15th of September morning with a clean 2 ft SSW swell and an 18-second period. The 18th of September morning has a tiny 1 ft swell but a 21-second period, which is an incredibly long period. The energy is moderate at 278, and with glassy conditions, it’s worth a paddle for the crew who love long-period groundswell.
Most afternoons are junk due to onshore winds, so stick to the morning sessions. The best of the best is clearly Saturday morning, the 5th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Thu morning, min 26°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 12 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
161 | 242 | 404 | 528 | 622 | 539 | 674 | 666 | 487 | 443 | 437 | 321 | 378 | 236 | 222 | 273 | 181 | 226 | 280 | 215 | 469 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:00PM2.94m | 8:20AM3.13m | 8:59PM2.78m | 9:23AM2.96m | 10:13PM2.68m | 10:40AM2.86m | 11:37PM2.71m | 12:02PM2.89m | 00:54AM2.88m | 1:15PM3.03m | 1:56AM3.13m | 2:15PM3.21m | 2:48AM3.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:50PM0.51m | 2:02AM0.73m | 2:46PM0.65m | 3:03AM0.90m | 3:54PM0.77m | 4:20AM1.01m | 5:14PM0.80m | 5:46AM1.00m | 6:31PM0.70m | 7:03AM0.85m | 7:36PM0.53m | 8:05AM0.63m | 8:29PM0.36m | ||||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | |
— | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | |
mm | 2 | 14 | 7 | 2 | — | 7 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Temp °C | 30 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 35 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 |
161 | 158 | 404 | 528 | 622 | 539 | 674 | 666 | 487 | 443 | 437 | 321 | 378 | 236 | 222 | 219 | 149 | 226 | 280 | 215 | 469 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 20 | SSW 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 6 |
98 | 242 | 115 | 105 | 107 | 91 | 99 | 22 | 26 | 45 | 32 | 22 | 75 | 11 | 126 | 273 | 181 | 136 | 125 | 103 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | WNW 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 12 | W 8 | SW 10 | SSW 10 | W 9 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | S 8 |
145 | 145 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 14 | 5 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 75 | 148 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 95 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 69 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Veraguas | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Panama | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Playa Santa Catalina Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa Santa Catalina provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Playa Santa Catalina can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa Santa Catalina 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 Santa Catalina) 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 Santa Catalina 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Veraguas? If you are looking for accommodation near Playa Santa Catalina, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Veraguas, consider staying in Manzanillo which is 17 km (11 miles) away. Other places in and around Veraguas where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Las Minas which is 57 km (35 miles) away, Santiago de Veraguas and Chitre.










