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Playa Hermosa surf forecast
Playa Hermosa is a long, open beach just south of Jacó, and its strong currents help build heavy surf. It faces south-west and suits intermediate-plus surfers who can handle powerful closeouts and strong rips.
Playa Hermosa surf report: hour by hour
The table shows wave size, wind and tide for each hour at Playa Hermosa. The beach works best with waves between 1.5 and 3 m, a north-east (offshore) wind and a mid tide.
Updated 01:58next run 06:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
06:00–07:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Go 06-07, clean overhead, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 06:00–07:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 02:36
- High
- 08:46
- Low
- 15:05
- High
- 21:30
- Sunrise
- 05:28
- Sunset
- 17:14
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Skip: wrong tide, overhead, cross-offshore N.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 03:54
- High
- 10:03
- Low
- 16:17
- High
- 22:38
- Sunrise
- 05:29
- Sunset
- 17:14
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-shore WNW.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 04:58
- High
- 11:10
- Low
- 17:14
- High
- 23:35
- Sunrise
- 05:29
- Sunset
- 17:14
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Skip: wrong tide, overhead, offshore NNE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 05:55
- High
- 12:06
- Low
- 18:08
- Sunrise
- 05:29
- Sunset
- 17:14
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Playa Hermosa (Jaco) (9.567, -84.596). 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 wave height first. Below about 0.8 m there is little to ride, and above about 4 m the beach gets too big for most people. The sweet spot is 1.5–3 m.
The beach and its surroundings
Playa Hermosa runs for about 8 km of open coast, and much of it sits inside a protected wildlife refuge. It is about five minutes from Jacó, and it is known as a beach for experienced surfers. Jacó's own beach to the north has several surf schools and shops that sell and rent gear.
Playa Hermosa
Beach breakExperiencedThis is a long grey-sand beach with strong currents, and that same power makes it a strong surf beach. Wikipedia describes it as a beach for experienced surfers only.
Expect powerful closeouts and strong rips, so pick your peak with care. Sources: es.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Jacó
Beach breakSchools nearbyJacó's black-sand beach is 4 km long and popular with surfers. It has several surf schools and shops that sell and rent gear.
If Playa Hermosa looks too heavy, this is the nearby beach to check. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Punta Mala (Punta Judas)
HeadlandRefuge edgePunta Mala, also called Punta Judas, marks the north-west end of the Playa Hermosa–Punta Mala wildlife refuge. The refuge runs south-east from there to the mouth of the Tullín (Tusubres) river. Sources: es.wikipedia.org
What Playa Hermosa (Jaco) 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
South to west swells
The beach faces south-west and picks up swell from south to west.
Wind
North-east wind is offshore
A north-east wind blows offshore here. Last December, offshore wind showed up on almost every day.
Tide
Mid tide works best
Aim for the middle of the tide at Playa Hermosa.
Size
1.5–3 m is ideal
Under about 0.8 m it is too small, and over about 4 m it is too big.
Shortcut: look for a south-west swell of 1.5–3 m, a north-east wind and a mid tide.
The best months to surf Playa Hermosa (Jaco)
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Playa Hermosa (Jaco)'s best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
May–JulPeak season
June is the best month, with good surf on about 67% of days and a typical size of 2.2 m. May (48%) and July (45%) are strong too, and these months bring irregular rainy spells.
Aug–NovWet season, October shines
October has good surf on about 42% of days, while August, September and November sit around 23–27%. This is the wet part of the year in Jacó.
Dec–FebQuietest months
December is the slowest month, with good surf on only about 6% of days, and January and February reach 18–23%. The dry season starts in late December.
Mar–AprDry and mixed
Good days run at about 32% in March and 23% in April, with typical waves near 1.8–1.9 m. The dry season lasts until early April.
Before you go
Hazards
The main dangers are powerful closeouts and strong rips. The currents also make the beach somewhat dangerous for swimming.
The beach is known as a spot for experienced surfers only. Sources: es.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Getting there
Jacó is about 100 km from San José, a little under two hours on Route 34. From Juan Santamaría International Airport it takes about an hour and a half via Routes 27 and 34.
Playa Hermosa is about five minutes south of Jacó. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Surf cams
Surf Inn Hermosa runs a live cam of the beach. The Backyard Hotel also has a live surfcam.
There is also a daily Playa Hermosa surf video presented by Cheech on Beach. Sources: surfinnhermosa.com · crsurf.com · backyardhotel.com
Crowd and level
This beach draws strong surfers, and one local hotel says some of Costa Rica's best paddle out here. Beginners are better served by the surf schools in Jacó. Sources: surfinnhermosa.com · en.wikipedia.org
Wildlife refuge rules
Much of the beach lies inside a refuge set up in 1998 to protect nesting olive ridley turtles. Fishing, camping, lighting fires and taking native species are banned inside the refuge. Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Water temperature and wetsuit
The sea stays warm all year, from about 28 °C in November to about 31 °C in May. You will not need a wetsuit, so boardshorts or a swimsuit and a rash vest are enough.
Weather
The air is humid, around 80%, and daytime temperatures run from 24 to 32 °C. August to early December is wet, and late December to early April is dry. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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 Hermosa (Jaco). 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 Hermosa (Jaco) 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 Hermosa (Jaco) surf questions
Is Playa Hermosa good for beginners?
Not really, because it is known as a beach for experienced surfers and it has powerful closeouts and strong rips. Beginners can try Jacó, which has several surf schools.
When is the best time to surf Playa Hermosa?
May to July is the best stretch, and June has good surf on about 67% of days. October is also strong at about 42%.
How cold is the water at Playa Hermosa in December?
It is about 29 °C in December. No wetsuit is needed.
Is there a Playa Hermosa surf cam?
Yes, Surf Inn Hermosa and the Backyard Hotel both run live surf cams. There is also a daily surf video presented by Cheech on Beach.
How far is Playa Hermosa from Jacó?
It is about five minutes south of Jacó. The wildlife refuge on the beach is about 5 km from the town.
Is this the same Playa Hermosa as the one in Guanacaste?
No, this Playa Hermosa is south of Jacó in Puntarenas province. Another beach in Guanacaste has the same name.
Check Playa Hermosa before you paddle out
Open the hourly forecast to see when size, wind and tide line up at Playa Hermosa.