Overview
Playa Maderas is the closest beach to San Juan del Sur, and that proximity has turned it into one of the cultural centers of Nicaraguan surfing. Local surfers flock here and contests run year-round. The wave itself is fairly average and not as good as the beachbreaks to the north, but the setting is stunning and it's a nice place to relax. It's a sand-bottom beachbreak with both rights and lefts, and the water is usually clean.
When It Works
Maderas draws swell from south through west-southwest and is usable from 0.6 m / 2 ft to 3 m / 10 ft, which covers everything from chest high to a couple of feet overhead. Spring, summer, and autumn all deliver, with April through September the prime stretch. Much of October typically brings onshore wind and heavy rain, but November is a sleeper month with late-season pulses and good conditions. Expect an average wave most days with genuinely good ones mixed in.
Wind and Tide
Look for calm mornings or a light to moderate east-southeast (ESE) offshore, with a workable wind window running from east-northeast through south-southeast. The beach works across low, mid, and high tide, though the medium levels are the pick and a rising tide is generally the better call.
Local Tips
Expect a busy lineup of locals and tourists whenever it's on, with a generally neutral atmosphere that can occasionally get more intense. When it's good and consistent, be ready for a lot of paddling. Just about anything works out there: shortboards, funboards, fish, longboards, and bodyboards all have a place, and the beach suits beginners through experts. The crowd is the main thing to keep an eye on.
Access
It's about thirty minutes north of San Juan del Sur, over the mountain, or you can get there by boat.
