Surf Forecasts:
Popoyo surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with 358 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m 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 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Popoyo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what Popoyo's got cookin' for us over the next couple weeks.
To be straight with you, the first week is a bit of a bummer. The wind is howling offshore from the ENE almost every morning, which is mint for a glassy surface, but the swell just isn't backing it up. We're looking at swell heights from 1 to 3 feet for most of the first seven days. The combined wave energy is moderate (think 216 to 416 in brackets), but it's weak for this exposed reef. A lot of these sessions are flagged as poor or marginal, and the scores are low. The water temp is about 85°, which is a touch warmer than average – nothing crazy.
The real window of opportunity is the final Saturday through Monday, the 29th through the 31st of August. Finally, the swell wakes up. We're seeing consistent 3 to 4 foot waves from the SW, with periods stretching out to 14 to 17 seconds. That long period means real groundswell energy – the combined energy jumps into the strong zone (642 to 749 in brackets). The Saturday morning session on the 29th of August is the one to circle: a solid 3 foot SW swell with a 17-second period, and that fresh offshore ENE wind. It’s the highest-rated session in the whole run. Popoyo is a reef, so that long-period swell will wrap in clean and lined-up. Keep in mind, the crowds are listed as "sometimes," so expect a few other surfers in the water.
After that, the swell backs off again into September. The 1st and 2nd show the size dropping back to around 2 feet, and the energy falling back to moderate (458 to 513 in brackets). The winds will stay offshore or cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the size won't be there to get stoked about.
So here’s the call: The first week is a wash. Save your energy for the 29th, 30th, and 31st of August. That’s where the goods are.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Thu morning, moderate winds from the ENE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Sat morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 368 | 280 | 358 | 314 | 305 | 206 | 147 | 116 | 150 | 167 | 191 | 194 | 146 | 133 | 120 | 186 | 168 | 260 | 214 | 207 | 281 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:45PM2.14m | 7:07AM2.30m | 7:30PM1.98m | 7:52AM2.15m | 8:20PM1.83m | 8:43AM2.02m | 9:18PM1.72m | 9:42AM1.94m | 10:26PM1.67m | 10:48AM1.91m | 11:36PM1.69m | 11:52AM1.95m | 00:37AM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:43PM0.36m | 00:50AM0.42m | 1:29PM0.49m | 1:33AM0.57m | 2:18PM0.61m | 2:21AM0.71m | 3:16PM0.71m | 3:18AM0.81m | 4:22PM0.76m | 4:25AM0.86m | 5:29PM0.74m | 5:34AM0.85m | 6:27PM0.67m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:59 | — |
mm | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 27 |
Feels °C | 28 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 368 | 280 | 358 | 314 | 305 | 206 | 147 | 57 | 150 | 167 | 191 | 194 | 146 | 133 | 94 | 65 | 60 | 260 | 214 | 207 | 281 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 |
| kJ | 40 | 46 | 45 | 43 | 50 | 51 | 56 | 116 | 113 | 39 | 57 | 104 | 71 | 131 | 120 | 120 | 118 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 20 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 63 | 38 | 77 | 73 | 61 | 97 | 186 | 168 | 80 | 77 | 37 | 36 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | E 3 | ENE 3 | ENE 3 | E 4 | E 4 | ENE 3 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | E 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | E 4 | ENE 4 | E 4 | ENE 4 |
| kJ | 8 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 24 | 16 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 75 | 83 | 88 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 71 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 73 | 18 | 88 | 75 | 75 | 47 | 88 | 47 | 75 | 76 | 75 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Tola Province | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Nicaragua | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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