Surf Forecasts:
Playa Santa Teresa surf forecast from 31 Aug 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, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 16s period, SW swell with 1,438 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s 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 1.7m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 3AM. 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 (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa Santa Teresa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s in store for us over the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a solid run of waves ahead, but the standout action is definitely for the crew who can handle a bit of size. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.
The first decent window you’ll want to look at is Tuesday morning, the 2nd of September. It’s a smaller morning, but the quality is there. Glassy conditions, a clean 2ft swell wrapping in from the SW, and that period is a very long 18 seconds. That’s pure groundswell energy, and with a combined energy of 524 (moderate), it’ll have some push. That long period will make it a bit straight at a beach break, but for a spot like Playa Santa Teresa, exposed to the WNW, it’ll still offer some nice lines.
The real highlight, though, is Friday the 4th of September. That morning, we’re looking at a 5ft SW groundswell, period of 17 seconds, and it’s glassy with a light offshore breeze from the NE. The combined energy jumps to 1335 (strong). That’s serious, clean, powerful swell. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s best for experienced surfers; beginners will find it a handful. The afternoon gets a bit bumpy with onshore wind, so get out early.
Saturday the 5th of September morning is also a beast. Slightly bigger at 6ft, still that long 16-second period, and glassy with a light ESE breeze. Combined energy is 1462 (strong). Again, this is expert territory. The waves will have plenty of grunt.
After that, the surf settles down a bit but stays fun. The mornings from Sunday the 6th through to about Tuesday the 15th consistently offer clean, glassy conditions with groundswell in the 3ft to 4ft range. The period stays long, mostly between 14 and 16 seconds, so the quality is there. The afternoons, as usual, get a bit messy with onshore breezes and a risk of thunderstorms, so dawn patrol is the go.
The very end of the run, around the 15th of September, the swell drops right off to 2ft. Still glassy, but just small and ordinary. That’s the tail end of the window.
Overall, don’t sleep on the mornings of the 4th and 5th of September. That’s the best chance for a proper session. The rest of the fortnight offers consistent, clean waves, just not with that same punch.
Stay stoked.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 42mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 26°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | 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 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 541 | 392 | 386 | 331 | 256 | 220 | 216 | 246 | 326 | 257 | 302 | 499 | 881 | 1174 | 1267 | 1210 | 1420 | 1055 | 868 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:33AM2.64m | 4:51PM2.45m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:19PM0.25m | 10:46AM0.25m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | 2 | — | 4 | 12 | — | — | 6 | — | 2 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
Temp °C | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 541 | 392 | 386 | 331 | 256 | 220 | 216 | 241 | 167 | 149 | 302 | 222 | 881 | 1174 | 1267 | 1210 | 1420 | 1055 | 868 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 6 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 19 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 9 | W 9 | S 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 20 | 12 | 12 | 33 | 54 | 112 | 53 | 37 | 326 | 257 | 144 | 499 | 35 | 133 | 138 | 41 | 42 | 35 | 59 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | WSW 6 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 18 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 7 | SW 15 | SW 11 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 8 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 84 | 5 | 112 | 246 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 176 | 57 | 28 | 26 | 41 | 22 | 27 | 26 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 6 | — | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 100 | 2 | 0 | 245 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Golfo de Nicoya | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Playa Santa Teresa surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest