Surf Forecasts:
Playa Santa Catalina surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 18s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SSW swell with 778 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Santa Catalina in the next 16 days are 1.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.1m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Santa Catalina over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve got a good look at the surf coming our way.
We’re sticking with Playa Santa Catalina for the whole sixteen days. The water’s sitting at a warm 86°, which is a touch warmer than what we usually get this time of year – feels like a bath, really. The swell direction is a solid SSW, which is exactly what this point break wants to see. It’s a setup for advanced surfers and it’s very consistent, so there’s never a dull moment, though sometimes you’ll have to share the peak.
The real standout is Friday the 4th of September through Sunday the 6th. That’s your window. The energy in the water is building hard, hitting 673 on Friday morning, then 757 on Saturday morning, and 560 on Sunday morning. All of that is moderate to strong energy. The swell is sitting at 4 ft from the SSW with a long period of 16-17 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. This is a point break, so that long period will wrap in beautifully. The wind is glassy or offshore on those mornings, meaning the surface will be clean. The waves will have some real punch and shape to them.
The week before that is still worth a paddle. Starting Sunday the 30th of August, we have a 3 ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is 469 – moderate. That’s a fun, clean morning. Monday the 31st is a bit smaller at 3 ft but with a NNE offshore and 323 energy, it’ll be clean. Tuesday the 1st of September, Wednesday the 2nd, and Thursday the 3rd all have mornings with 3 ft to 3 ft SSW swell, glassy or offshore wind, and energy in the 250-465 range. All good, clean, rideable waves. The afternoons get tricky with onshore winds, so mornings are the call.
After that peak at the start of September, the surf settles down. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th still have 3 ft to 3 ft SSW swell with clean mornings, but the energy drops a bit. The following week, from the 10th onward, the size drops to 2 ft to 3 ft and the conditions get more mixed. The Thursday the 10th morning has a 2 ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period and 603 energy, but the wind is cross-shore, so it’s not perfect. It’s a marginal call. The 11th and 13th have glassy mornings with small swell, but the energy is lower. The 14th is tiny, 1 ft, with a long period, but it’s just not enough to get excited about.
Overall, the best of the best is the window from Friday the 4th to Sunday the 6th of September. Get in the water.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 65mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 29mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 437 | 425 | 299 | 277 | 222 | 219 | 193 | 190 | 164 | 189 | 166 | 181 | 222 | 242 | 404 | 528 | 622 | 539 | 620 | 612 | 493 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | off | glassy | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:13PM3.32m | 5:31AM3.51m | 5:50PM3.30m | 6:07AM3.50m | 6:29PM3.23m | 6:46AM3.43m | 7:11PM3.10m | 7:29AM3.30m | 8:00PM2.94m | 8:20AM3.13m | 8:59PM2.78m | 9:23AM2.96m | 10:13PM2.68m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:08AM0.35m | 11:18PM0.32m | 11:44AM0.31m | 11:53PM0.35m | 12:22PM0.32m | 00:31AM0.44m | 1:03PM0.39m | 1:13AM0.57m | 1:50PM0.51m | 2:02AM0.73m | 2:46PM0.65m | 3:03AM0.90m | 3:54PM0.77m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — |
mm | 6 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 32 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 437 | 425 | 299 | 277 | 222 | 219 | 193 | 190 | 164 | 189 | 147 | 129 | 222 | 199 | 404 | 528 | 622 | 539 | 620 | 612 | 493 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 13 | 14 | 11 | 31 | 39 | 41 | 30 | 29 | 21 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 98 | 242 | 148 | 105 | 138 | 103 | 125 | 34 | 34 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | S 8 | S 9 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 19 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SW 10 | SSW 9 |
| kJ | 19 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 34 | 32 | 62 | 124 | 166 | 181 | 145 | 79 | 51 | 40 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 25 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 1 | 0 | 131 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 232 | 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.
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