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Playa Grande surf forecast
Playa Grande is a long, exposed sandy beach just north of Tamarindo, and its peaks pick up swell very consistently. It faces west and works best around mid tide, with the wind blowing offshore from the east.
Playa Grande surf report, hour by hour
The table shows swell, wind and tide for each hour at Playa Grande, so you can see when they line up. Swell can reach this west-facing beach from anywhere between south and north-west.
Updated 01:58next run 06:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
10:00–12:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Marginal 10-12: average, overhead, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 10:00–12:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 02:33
- High
- 08:44
- Low
- 15:01
- High
- 21:26
- Sunrise
- 05:34
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Marginal 06-07: average, overhead, offshore ESE.
Best window: 06:00–07:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 03:48
- High
- 09:58
- Low
- 16:11
- High
- 22:36
- Sunrise
- 05:34
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Skip: wrong tide, overhead, offshore ESE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 04:57
- High
- 11:06
- Low
- 17:10
- High
- 23:32
- Sunrise
- 05:35
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, offshore ESE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 05:53
- High
- 12:05
- Low
- 18:02
- Sunrise
- 05:35
- Sunset
- 17:18
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Playa Grande (10.330, -85.846). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind first. Offshore here blows from the east, so look for hours with an east wind that fall near mid tide.
Surfing Playa Grande
Playa Grande, also called Salinas, is a sandy beach about 4.5 km long on Guanacaste's Pacific coast. Several peaks break off the sand, giving both lefts and rights. The beach is part of Las Baulas Marine National Park.
Playa Grande
Beach breakIntermediate+This is an exposed beach break that is very consistent, and clean groundswells are the norm. It faces west and likes a mid tide and an east wind.
Expect lefts and rights over a sandy bottom. Watch for rips and closeouts. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org
El Estero (Tamarindo river mouth)
River mouthCrocodile riskThe river mouth at Tamarindo is listed as a separate surf spot in the area. Playa Grande lies just north of Tamarindo.
Crocodiles are a known hazard near the Tamarindo estuary, so take care near the river mouth. Sources: costaricawaves.com · en.wikipedia.org
Brasilito
Nearby spotAbout 9 km awayBrasilito sits about 9 km away. On some days a wind-finder tool names it as the nearest spot with offshore or clean wind. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com
What Playa Grande needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
Open from south to north-west
The beach faces west and takes swell from the south round to the north-west.
Wind
East wind is offshore
An east wind blows offshore here.
Tide
Aim for mid tide
Mid tide is the sweet spot at Playa Grande.
Size
Best at 1–2.2 m
Below about 0.6 m there is little to ride, and 1.0 to 2.2 m is ideal. Above 3 m it gets too big.
Shortcut: a swell of 1 to 2.2 m, an east wind and mid tide make the best Playa Grande session.
The best months to surf Playa Grande
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Playa Grande's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Sep–NovThe best stretch
November is the top month: 67% of days rate 3 or better and 23% rate 4 or better. September (57% at 3+) and October (15% at 4+) are also strong.
Dec–AprMixed, with turtles on the beach
Between 30% and 43% of days rate 3 or better, and February has the most 4+ days of this stretch at 18%. Leatherback turtles usually nest here from October to March.
May–JulSteady but rarely epic
About half the days in May and July rate 3 or better, but 4+ days are rare.
AugThe quiet dip
August is the weakest month, with only 23% of days rated 3 or better.
Before you go
Hazards
Rips and closeouts are the main dangers in the water.
Crocodiles are a hazard near the Tamarindo estuary, so stay alert close to the river mouth.
A national park beach
Playa Grande has been part of Las Baulas Marine National Park since 1990. The park protects nesting grounds of endangered leatherback turtles.
Nesting season usually runs from October to March, so treat the beach with care in those months. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Getting there
Playa Grande is about 63 km south of Liberia International Airport, in the canton of Santa Cruz. It lies between Tamarindo to the south and Playa Ventanas to the north. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Crowds
When the waves are working, expect a crowd. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com
Water temperature and wetsuit
The water stays warm all year, from about 27 °C in February to 30.6 °C in May.
Best time of day
Choose the hours when mid tide meets an east wind, because those are the best conditions here.
Tides
In the forecast week shown, high tides reached about 2.0–2.4 m and low tides about 0.3–0.6 m, a daily range of roughly 1.5 to 2 m. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Playa Grande. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Costa Rica, so 4 stars at Playa Grande is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Playa Grande surf questions
Is Playa Grande good for beginners?
Not really. It is rated for intermediate surfers and above, and its hazards include rips and closeouts.
When is the best time to surf Playa Grande?
September to November is the strongest period, and November is the peak: 67% of days rate 3 or better. August is the weakest month.
How cold is the water in Playa Grande in December?
It is not cold at all: the sea averages about 28.6 °C in December.
What wind and tide work best at Playa Grande?
An east wind blows offshore, and mid tide is the best stage.
Does Playa Grande get crowded?
Yes. Expect a crowd when the waves are good.
Are there crocodiles at Playa Grande?
Crocodiles are a known hazard near the Tamarindo estuary, so take care close to the river mouth.
Check the Playa Grande surf forecast before you go
Look at the hourly table for an east wind, mid tide and a swell of 1 to 2.2 m, then pick your session.