Surf Forecasts:
Popoyo surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SW swell with 823 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Popoyo this week:
The surf forecast for Popoyo over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Popoyo in the next 16 days are 1.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Popoyo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alrighty folks, Rusty here again. Let’s break this down in feet and miles.
The first week is a bit of a slog. We’ve got waves, but the wind is a real pain. It’s blowing out of the ENE most days at 18 to 28 mph, which makes the surface choppy and tough to get into. The waves are small, running 2ft to 4ft, and while the period is decent (14-16 seconds), the energy is middling, mostly in the 400-500 range. It’s a lot of effort for little reward.
The real standout is at the very end of the forecast. Here’s the good news.
Popoyo (reef)
The window opens up on Saturday, August 29th and into Sunday, August 30th. The morning of the 29th is the one to circle. We’ve got a 4ft SW swell with a long 17-second period, giving it that proper groundswell push. The combined energy hits 875, which is solid. The wind is a gentle offshore breeze at 9 mph from the ENE, so the wave faces will be clean and glassy. Water temp is 84°F, which is about 1°F above normal—nothing wild, just nice.
The 30th still has some size, with a 4ft SSW swell, but the wind swings more cross-off and picks up, so it won’t be as pristine. That Saturday morning is the pick of the bunch. Popoyo is a reef that loves the long-period stuff, so the shape will be there. Just know it’s a very consistent break, so you’ll likely have company. The swell is small enough for the intermediate crew, but that long period means the sets will have some punch.
Before that, it’s pretty grim. The 28th shows a little blip in energy, but the wind is still messy. You’re looking at about ten days of average to poor surf before that Saturday morning shines. If you’re patient, you’ll be rewarded.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 33°C on Sun afternoon, min 25°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Sat afternoon, light winds from the SE by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 823 | 719 | 628 | 479 | 418 | 418 | 395 | 379 | 373 | 313 | 280 | 358 | 258 | 255 | 206 | 186 | 140 | 113 | 166 | 153 | 143 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:35PM2.52m | 5:02AM2.63m | 5:19PM2.42m | 5:44AM2.56m | 6:02PM2.29m | 6:25AM2.44m | 6:45PM2.14m | 7:07AM2.30m | 7:30PM1.98m | 7:52AM2.15m | 8:20PM1.83m | 8:43AM2.02m | 9:18PM1.72m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:29AM0.13m | 10:45PM0.05m | 11:15AM0.17m | 11:27PM0.15m | 11:59AM0.25m | 00:08AM0.28m | 12:43PM0.36m | 00:50AM0.42m | 1:29PM0.49m | 1:33AM0.57m | 2:18PM0.61m | 2:21AM0.71m | 3:16PM0.71m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | | |  | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 12 | — | 4 | 8 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 28 |
Feels °C | 28 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 9 | SW 15 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 11 |
| kJ | 823 | 719 | 628 | 479 | 418 | 418 | 395 | 379 | 373 | 130 | 115 | 131 | 168 | 255 | 110 | 85 | 85 | 105 | 166 | 153 | 143 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 8 | S 7 | S 8 | SSW 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | S 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 7 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 68 | 67 | 43 | 39 | 59 | 58 | 54 | 76 | 96 | 313 | 280 | 358 | 258 | 58 | 206 | 186 | 140 | 113 | 75 | 17 | 103 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 9 | SW 9 | — | — | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 13 | S 12 | S 8 | SW 8 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 7 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | — | — | 21 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 84 | 58 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 64 | 38 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | E 3 | E 3 | ENE 3 | E 3 | E 4 | E 4 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | E 4 | ENE 3 | ENE 3 | E 3 | ENE 4 |
| kJ | 16 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 28 | 29 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 16 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 88 | 149 | 47 | 158 | 88 | 0 | 47 | 46 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 56 | 56 | 73 | 47 | 47 | 73 | 9 | 71 | 75 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Tola Province | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Nicaragua | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Popoyo 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 Popoyo Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Popoyo provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Popoyo can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Popoyo 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 (Popoyo) 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 Popoyo 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.
Popoyo is 30 km (19 miles) from Rivas. If you plan a holiday in Tola Province, look for hotels and other accommodation in Rivas. Rivas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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