Surf Forecasts:
Playa Santa Teresa surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,333 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s 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 (Sep 01) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa Santa Teresa in the next 16 days are 1.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Santa Teresa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the next 16 days for Playa Santa Teresa.
We’ve got a consistent pulse of SW groundswell running through the whole period, but the quality of the waves is going to be all about the wind. The early part of the week has some tidy windows with clean conditions, but there’s also a lot of afternoons getting chopped up by onshore breezes. The standout session looks like Friday the 4th with solid energy. Water temp is sitting dead normal for this time of year, nothing weird going on there.
Right, we kick off with a bit of a slow start. Tuesday the 1st has some small 3ft SW swell but the wind is all wrong, so don’t bother. Wednesday the 2nd is a different story though – a glassy morning with 2ft of SW groundswell and very long 18 second periods. The wave energy is pumping at moderate strength (525) for the size. That long period means the waves will be lined up, but at that size it's super fun for everyone and not closing out. The afternoon gets blown out though.
Thursday the 3rd keeps the good morning theme going – glassy, calm wind, 3ft SW swell at 16 seconds. Energy is moderate (446), clean conditions. Nice little session.
Now, the real highlight lands on Friday the 4th. Morning gets a solid 5ft SW swell, 17 second period, with a light cross-offshore breeze. That’s excellent, clean surf – the kind you dream about. The combined wave energy jumps up to strong at 1260. It's getting a bit punchy for beginners at that size, but experienced surfers will be stoked. The afternoon stays big but gets a touch of cross-on wind.
Saturday the 5th still has pumping energy – 5ft in the morning (1345 energy) with glassy conditions, but it’s getting into that “experts only” territory. Afternoon gets blown onshore again. Sunday the 6th drops back to a more manageable 4ft (688 energy) with glassy morning conditions – another great morning session.
After that, the size backs off a little but the pattern holds: most mornings offer clean, glassy or cross-off winds on solid SW groundswell. The afternoons are mostly a write-off with onshore winds. Tuesday the 8th, Wednesday the 9th, Thursday the 10th, Friday the 11th all offer good to very good morning waves with 3ft to 4ft of clean swell.
The second week stays consistent but smaller. Saturday the 12th has a clean 3ft morning, then the trade-off continues. Playa Santa Teresa is a consistent spot, so the blank afternoons are normal – just get out early. This stretch is a good example of that.
So the standout for the whole 16 days is undeniably Friday the 4th morning – 5ft SW, 17 seconds, clean cross-off wind, strong energy. That’s your best chance for a proper session. Saturday the 5th morning is also pumping but tougher. For the smaller gear days, Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd mornings are pure glassy fun.
Keep your eyes on the morning windows and you’ll have plenty of waves to yourself – this break can get crowded sometimes, but with the early starts you’ll beat the crowd.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 26°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
331 | 256 | 220 | 216 | 246 | 326 | 257 | 302 | 499 | 881 | 1174 | 1267 | 1333 | 1317 | 1055 | 868 | 676 | 667 | 514 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 5:10AM2.65m | 5:30PM2.40m | 5:49AM2.62m | 6:13PM2.31m | 6:33AM2.54m | 7:01PM2.20m | 7:24AM2.43m | 7:58PM2.09m | 8:25AM2.32m | 9:08PM2.02m | 9:37AM2.25m | 10:28PM2.03m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:54PM0.26m | 11:25AM0.25m | 11:33PM0.30m | 12:08PM0.29m | 00:15AM0.38m | 12:55PM0.37m | 1:03AM0.48m | 1:51PM0.46m | 2:02AM0.59m | 2:57PM0.54m | 3:14AM0.67m | 4:12PM0.57m | |||||||
— | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | — | 4 | 17 |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
331 | 256 | 220 | 50 | 241 | 196 | 149 | 302 | 499 | 881 | 1174 | 1267 | 1333 | 1317 | 1055 | 868 | 676 | 667 | 514 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 | SW 12 | SSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | W 8 | WNW 9 | S 10 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 |
33 | 54 | 49 | 216 | 38 | 326 | 257 | 144 | 176 | 35 | 44 | 42 | 22 | 28 | 74 | 30 | 29 | 40 | 53 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 10 | SSW 6 | S 7 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 |
14 | 84 | 113 | 112 | 246 | 18 | 32 | 33 | 125 | 40 | 42 | 43 | 39 | 22 | 14 | 26 | 12 | 23 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 175 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 12 | 0 | 132 | 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.











