Surf Forecasts:
Tortuguero surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 10s period, ENE swell with 889 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tortuguero this week:
The surf forecast for Tortuguero over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tortuguero in the next 16 days are 2.2m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tortuguero over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk it through.
Tortuguero is the only spot on the menu. The water’s sitting at 84°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.
The first real standout is Sunday, September 13. The wind goes glassy out of the NE at just 3 mph, and we’ve got a clean 7ft groundswell from the ENE with a 10-second period. The combined energy is 821, which is solid. That’s the kind of clean, lined-up surf that’ll have you grinning. Because it’s a long-period swell, it’ll hold its shape nicely at this exposed spot. Crowds are a possibility when it’s this good, so get in early.
Sunday afternoon doubles down: still glassy, 7ft from the ENE, same period, energy at 889. That’s the pick of the whole 16 days.
Wednesday, September 16 is another good one. Glassy wind, 6ft from the ENE, 10-second period, energy at 574. Clean and fairly consistent. A bit smaller than Sunday but still very rideable.
After that, the swell drops away fast. By Tuesday, September 22, we’re down to 3ft and energy of 74. The wind is glassy some mornings, but the waves are short-period and weak. From the 24th to the 27th, there are glassy mornings with only 3ft to 3ft waves and periods around 7 to 8 seconds. It’s surfable but ordinary. You’ll be scratching for anything with a real face. The spot is fairly consistent, so a flat spell like this isn’t unusual.
Sunday, September 27 has a faint pulse – energy at 101, still tiny waves at 3ft, but the wind is calm and glassy. If you’re keen on a knee-high session, you could make it work.
Beginners be cautious on Sunday the 13th – 7ft to 7ft could be too much. Stick to the smaller days after the 16th.
All in, Sunday the 13th is your best bet, with Wednesday the 16th as a solid backup. The rest of the 16 days is mostly flat. Forecasts can change, so don’t give up hope, but right now, plan for that first weekend.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 56mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 24°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 217 | 280 | 460 | 821 | 889 | 886 | 697 | 497 | 371 | 300 | 235 | 201 | 574 | 455 | 290 | 433 | 413 | 395 | 398 | 404 | 309 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross | on | glassy |
High Tide | 1:13PM0.39m | 1:56AM0.31m | 1:52PM0.41m | 3:05AM0.28m | 2:31PM0.42m | 4:13AM0.26m | 3:10PM0.42m | 5:15AM0.24m | 3:49PM0.41m | 6:10AM0.22m | 4:28PM0.40m | 7:03AM0.21m | 5:06PM0.39m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:25PM0.13m | 7:59AM0.18m | 9:16PM0.09m | 8:35AM0.18m | 10:01PM0.06m | 9:07AM0.18m | 10:42PM0.04m | 9:36AM0.17m | 11:21PM0.03m | 10:03AM0.17m | 11:59PM0.04m | 10:29AM0.17m | 00:36AM0.06m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | |  | |
 | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — |
 | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | 2 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 |
| kJ | 217 | 280 | 460 | 821 | 889 | 886 | 697 | 497 | 371 | 300 | 235 | 201 | 574 | 455 | 290 | 433 | 413 | 395 | 398 | 404 | 309 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 120 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 123 | 0 | 34 | 143 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Limon | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Tortuguero 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 Tortuguero Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tortuguero provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tortuguero can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tortuguero 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 (Tortuguero) 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 Tortuguero 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Limon? If you are looking for accommodation near Tortuguero, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Limon, consider staying in Puerto Limon which is 13 km (8 miles) away. Other places in and around Limon where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Siquirres which is 40 km (25 miles) away, Turrialba, Guapiles and Paraiso.
Nearest