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Santa Teresa surf forecast
Playa Santa Teresa is an exposed, south-west facing beach break on the Nicoya Peninsula that picks up swell from the south round to the north-west. It is consistent all year, with lefts and rights, warm water and strong rips.
Santa Teresa surf forecast by the hour
The table shows swell, wind and tide hour by hour for Playa Santa Teresa. Swell models describe open water just off the coast, so breaking waves are often smaller at more sheltered spots.
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
- 02:39
- High
- 08:45
- Low
- 15:04
- High
- 21:26
- Sunrise
- 05:31
- Sunset
- 17:16
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-onshore WNW.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 03:52
- High
- 10:01
- Low
- 16:14
- High
- 22:36
- Sunrise
- 05:31
- Sunset
- 17:17
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-offshore NNW.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 04:58
- High
- 11:07
- Low
- 17:13
- High
- 23:32
- Sunrise
- 05:31
- Sunset
- 17:16
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Skip: average, overhead, cross-shore SE.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 05:55
- High
- 12:06
- Low
- 18:05
- Sunrise
- 05:31
- Sunset
- 17:16
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Santa Teresa (9.643, -85.172). 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 direction first. Offshore here comes from the north-east, while winds from the south and south-south-west blow onshore.
Surfing Santa Teresa: the breaks
Santa Teresa is a lively surf town with a mix of beach and point breaks. The main beach is powerful, while gentler waves sit close by for beginners and longboarders. Exploring more than one beach is a common local tip.
Playa Santa Teresa
Beach breakIntermediate+The main beach in town is an exposed beach break with both lefts and rights. It is known for powerful waves and long rides.
Expect strong rips, some rocky patches and a crowd when it is good. Sources: houseofsomos.com · es.surf-forecast.com
Playa Hermosa
Rolling wavesBeginnersPlaya Hermosa is a better choice for beginners and longboarders, with rolling waves. Palm trees line the backdrop. Sources: houseofsomos.com
Playa Carmen / Malpais
Sandy bottomAll levelsThis popular spot is a sandy-bottom beach break with consistent waves for all levels. Mal Pais is the neighbouring village to Santa Teresa. Sources: houseofsomos.com · en.wikipedia.org
What Santa Teresa 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 north-west swells
The beach faces south-west and takes swell from south round to north-west. Groundswells are more frequent than windswells here.
Wind
North-east wind is offshore
A north-east wind blows offshore. Winds from the south-west side blow onshore.
Tide
Mid tide works best
Our model rates mid tide best here. Check the tide column, as the forecast range between low and high tide is often close to 2 m.
Size
Best at 1.2–2.5 m
Below about 0.6 m it is too small, and it is at its best between 1.2 and 2.5 m. Above about 3.5 m it gets too big for most surfers.
Shortcut: look for a 1.2–2.5 m south-west swell, a north-east wind and mid tide.
The best months to surf Santa Teresa
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Santa Teresa's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Nov–FebMost good days
November, January and February have the best odds: about 61–67% of days rate 3+, and 26–36% rate 4+. December was the weak month in our year at 19% of days rating 3+, though recent Decembers can still be very good. December starts the dry season, which brings offshore winds and cleaner, smaller waves.
Mar–AprFewer good days
Good days are rarer now, with 29–40% of days rating 3+ and no 4+ days in April. The water is very warm, around 30–30.5 °C.
May–JulGreen season swells
About half the days rate 3+, with June the best at 57%. The green season brings bigger swells and thinner crowds.
Aug–OctMixed, then picking up
August and September are patchier, with only 27–32% of days rating 3+. October picks up again, with 55% of days rating 3+.
Before you go
Rips and rocks
Watch out for strong rips at Playa Santa Teresa. There are also rocky patches in places, so check where you paddle out.
Beginners are better off at Playa Hermosa, which has gentler waves. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · houseofsomos.com
Getting there
Santa Teresa is about 150 km west of San José, and the trip from the capital is put at about 185 km. Options include a 6-hour bus or minibus, a 4.5-hour private transfer, or a flight of about 2 hours including transfers, with Tambor Airport about a 45-minute drive away.
You can also drive to Puntarenas and take the ferry to Paquera, about 1 hour 15 minutes. From there it is about another 1 hour 15 minutes by car. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Roads and local transport
The roads in are winding and bumpy, so a sturdy 4x4 is recommended. The posted speed limit is 70 km/h.
Public transport links Cóbano, Montezuma and Mal Pais, and you can rent cars and ATVs. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Crowds and etiquette
When the surf is working, the main beach gets crowded. Respect the lineup and the locals. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · houseofsomos.com
Water temperature and wetsuit
The sea stays between about 28 and 31 °C all year, coolest in November (28.3 °C) and warmest in May (30.8 °C). Forecasters suggest trunks or a bikini.
Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Sources: surfcaptain.com · houseofsomos.com
Time of day
In early November, sunrise is around 5:30 and sunset around 5:15. On one sample November day, the 6am session was clean in a light north wind and later sessions were fair. Use the hourly wind column to pick your window. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · deepswell.com · surfcaptain.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 Santa Teresa. 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 Santa Teresa 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.
Santa Teresa surf questions
Is Santa Teresa good for beginners?
The main beach is a powerful beach break with strong rips, best for intermediate surfers and up. Beginners do better at nearby Playa Hermosa or Playa Carmen.
When is the best time to surf Santa Teresa?
In our data, November, January and February have the most good days, with 61–67% of days rating 3+. The dry season from December to April brings cleaner, smaller waves, while May to November brings bigger swells and fewer crowds.
How cold is the water in Santa Teresa in December?
It is warm, at about 29 °C in December.
What tide is best at Playa Santa Teresa?
Our model rates mid tide best. Other guides differ: one favours low tide and another says any tide works.
What wind and swell work best?
A north-east wind is offshore. The beach takes swell from south to north-west and is best at 1.2–2.5 m.
How do I get to Santa Teresa from San José?
Take a bus, minibus, private transfer or a flight to Tambor, or drive to Puntarenas and catch the ferry to Paquera. A 4x4 is recommended for the rough roads.
Check Santa Teresa before you paddle out
Open the hourly table for swell, wind and tide at Playa Santa Teresa, and look for a north-east breeze on a mid tide.