Surf Forecasts:
Playa Santa Teresa surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,537 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa Santa Teresa this week:
The surf forecast for Playa Santa Teresa over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Santa Teresa in the next 16 days are 1.6m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Santa Teresa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming up for Playa Santa Teresa. We've got a decent run of surf on the cards, starting with a bit of a wait for the real quality to show up.
The opening days are a bit small and a touch inconsistent, with a morning session on Tuesday the 21st offering the first clean waves despite a chance of thunderstorms. The water's a touch warmer than normal at 86°. By Wednesday the 22nd we get that glassy morning with very small swell, a great time for a beginner to get some practice. Thursday the 23rd morning is clean but the afternoon turns onshore and messy. The real standout of the week doesn't arrive until Friday the 24th morning, when the swell period jumps to a very long 24 seconds from the SW, with strong wave energy (647). It's clean and cross-off, making for some proper lines. Saturday the 25th morning offers another excellent session with offshore wind and a solid 3ft SW groundswell, but Saturday afternoon gets a bit dicey.
The following week is where it heats up. The absolute best bet of the entire outlook is Monday the 27th morning. We're looking at glassy conditions with a consistent 3ft SW groundswell running with a long 19-second period, and the wave energy is very strong (1222). It's set up for a fantastic session for experienced surfers.
Tuesday the 28th morning is another exceptional call with a 5ft SW swell and clean cross-off winds, though the wave energy is even bigger (1418), so this is for the crew with some experience under their belt. Wednesday the 29th morning keeps the quality run going with a 5ft SW groundswell and clean conditions. After Wednesday, the swell slowly starts to drop off, but we still get glassy mornings through the end of July and into the first of August. The final spike to note is Wednesday the 5th of August morning, with a clean 3ft SSW swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds, so it'll be a bit more of a windswell vibe. The afternoons through this period are mostly onshore and not recommended.
Stay safe out there, and watch for those afternoon thunder bumpers.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Wed afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Fri morning, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 26 | SW 8 | SW 24 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 301 | 289 | 250 | 171 | 130 | 92 | 92 | 171 | 96 | 444 | 271 | 898 | 543 | 563 | 1100 | 800 | 996 | 962 | 730 | 920 | 1327 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:16PM2.09m | 8:41AM2.29m | 9:11PM1.96m | 9:34AM2.17m | 10:12PM1.86m | 10:32AM2.10m | 11:16PM1.83m | 11:31AM2.08m | 00:18AM1.86m | 12:28PM2.12m | 1:12AM1.93m | 1:19PM2.19m | 1:59AM2.03m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:14PM0.54m | 2:20AM0.61m | 3:08PM0.64m | 3:13AM0.74m | 4:07PM0.70m | 4:11AM0.83m | 5:08PM0.72m | 5:13AM0.86m | 6:07PM0.69m | 6:12AM0.84m | 7:01PM0.62m | 7:06AM0.77m | 7:47PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — |
mm | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 11 |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | S 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SW 8 | SSW 7 | WSW 8 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 301 | 289 | 220 | 171 | 130 | 32 | 91 | 140 | 96 | 146 | 80 | 898 | 543 | 563 | 1100 | 800 | 996 | 962 | 492 | 920 | 1327 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 7 | SW 24 | S 7 | SW 7 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 10 | SW 19 | SW 14 | S 9 |
| kJ | 132 | 134 | 250 | 88 | 88 | 92 | 92 | 55 | 60 | 444 | 51 | 60 | 119 | 60 | 57 | 65 | 45 | 94 | 730 | 293 | 57 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 7 | WNW 17 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SW 26 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 24 | S 12 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 30 | 21 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 39 | 18 | 171 | 64 | 54 | 271 | 132 | 40 | 21 | 45 | 35 | 51 | 18 | 66 | 67 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | ENE 3 | — | — | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Playa Santa Teresa Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa Santa Teresa 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 Teresa can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa Santa Teresa 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 Teresa) 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 Teresa 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 Santa Teresa is 51 km (32 miles) from Puntarenas. If you plan a holiday in Golfo de Nicoya, look for hotels and other accommodation in Puntarenas. Puntarenas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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