Playa Manzanillo
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Hourly Forecast
Timezone: America/Costa_Rica
⏱️s.
⚡️kJ
Thursday 28
Friday 29
Saturday 30
Sunday 31
Monday 01
Tuesday 02
Tap a forecast cell to explore conditions on the map.
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Playa Manzanillo surf guide

Playa Manzanillo is a laid-back surf spot located on the beautiful coast. It's a place where you can catch some waves, but don’t expect the surf to be consistent all the time. The beach draws a mix of locals and expats, and it can get a bit crowded on weekends when the waves hit just right. However, that doesn't happen too often, so if you’re looking for a chill session, you might find your moment here.

The surf at Playa Manzanillo works best with a Northwest swell, handling sizes around 3 feet (about 1 meter). The waves break over uneven reef and sandy areas, offering both lefts and rights that can be fun for experienced surfers. Even though it’s not the most reliable spot, you can still find some decent rides when conditions align. For the best experience, you'll want to hit it with a northeast wind and during low, mid, or high tides. Overall, it’s an intermediate-friendly location, so it's a good spot to sharpen your skills.

This beach also serves as a perfect nursery for kids and beginners wanting to learn the ropes. While the surf can be fickle, it’s a decent place for newcomers to practice in a safer environment. Just keep in mind that the best days can be few and far between, so patience is key if you're planning to surf here.

Surf reports and surf forecasts nearby Playa Manzanillo

Playa Coyote
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Playa Caletas
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Playa Manzanillo
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Reef break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Playa Hermosa - Golfo Nicoya
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Santa Teresa
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Playa Santa Teresa
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Reef break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Playa Carmen
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Punta Barigona
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Point break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Sunset Reef
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Reef break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Mal Pais
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Beach break
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
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"Great Forecasts. Nothing more, nothing less."

Readme

Welcome! If you’re new to surf forecasting, check out this quick guide.

Forecast Table

The forecast table (the section on the page with all the numbers) is designed to pack as much information in the screen as possible. Although intimidating at first, it will help you make informed decisions about the waves faster, trust me :D. The table consists of roughly four sections, time and predictions, wind, waves, and tides:

🔮 Time and predictions section

Here we show the forecast thour and the overall surf quality prediction. This is determined based on the wave, wind and tide quality prediction. These individual predictions can be found on the forecast map.

💨 Wind section

The first row on the table (with the 💨 icon) shows wind speed, direction and gust. The more the wind speed the more aggressive the color (from blue, green, orange to red).

🌊 Wave section

The waves section consists of three rows, one for wave height and direction, one for period and one for wave energy. Our algorithm choices the "dominant wave". This is normally the first swell partition, but with heavy local storms it displays the wind waves. If that's the case, we display the numbers in italic and in gray.

🌒 Tide section

The tide section consists of a row with the actual heights per hour (measured at the half hour) and a table that displays the flow of the tide and the extremes (lows and highs).

Forecast map

The forecast map consists of arrows. These arrows represent all wave partitions (swell partitions and wind wave partition) and the wind. This allows you to see things like: a secondary swell or wind waves messes up the surf, or the wind is just a tick offshore so very surfable. Click a metric label in the bottom left to bring that arrow to the front — handy when arrows overlap.

Forecast Cheat Sheet

Short on time? Focus on wave energy. It’s the best single metric to gauge how big and powerful the waves will be.

Click any table cell to jump to that forecast hour. The map will update with forecast arrows, so you can see if wind and swell direction are lining up.

Use the table sidebar to switch units for height and speed.

Log your surf sessions to compare forecasts with real sessions and sharpen future predictions.

Models and Updates

Surfnerd blends multiple global and local wind and swell models using advanced interpolation and spatial techniques to create an "ensemble" forecast. Forecasts are refreshed hourly.

Surf Predictions

Our AI-driven algorithm scores surf quality, shown by green, orange, and gray dots. Each forecast hour is rated for wind, swell, and tide quality, then combined into an overall score. Here’s the scale:

Perfect
Good
Average
Bad or No Data

Session logs also feed the algorithm — the more you log, the smarter your forecasts get.

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Wind certainty

Wind certainty tells you how much the weather models agree on the forecast.

  • High certainty: Models agree closely; forecast is reliable.
  • Medium certainty: Some disagreement; conditions may shift slightly.
  • Low certainty: Models diverge; treat forecast with caution.

We calculate this by comparing wind speed, gust and direction from multiple models (like GFS, ECMWF, Arome, and Harmonie) and seeing how closely they match. They are weighted, meaning that some models count more than others, depending on how good they are for a certain spot.

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