Playa Santa Teresa
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Hourly Forecast
Timezone: America/Costa_Rica
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Saturday 13
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Thursday 18
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Playa Santa Teresa surf guide

Playa Santa Teresa is a popular surf spot located on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. Known for its beautiful white sand, this beach has become a go-to destination for surfers from all over. It offers a vibrant atmosphere and a relatively laid-back vibe, making it accessible for both surfers and beachgoers alike. The area is a commercial hub with plenty of accommodation options and facilities to cater to various budgets and preferences.

The surf at Playa Santa Teresa can be quite engaging. The spot is known for its hollow and consistent beach break. The best conditions typically occur during lower tides, where you can find optimal waves breaking over uneven reef and sand. It handles swell sizes from around 0.3 meters (1 ft) up to bigger sizes, making it suitable mostly for intermediate surfers. You'll frequently encounter lefts and rights depending on the swell direction, with southwest swells being ideal. For wind, a northeast breeze is preferred, which helps to shape the waves just right. Notable locations like Suck Rock can present challenging conditions with shallow, fast tubes during north-west swells, so it's advised for more experienced surfers, while La Lora provides long, loping rights and shorter peaks during south-west swells.

While enjoying the surf, be mindful of the local crowd, especially at Suck Rock where locals tend to dominate the waves. Conditions can change quickly, and it's important to keep an eye out for rips and the occasional urchin hidden below the surface. Make sure to plan your surf sessions according to the tide heights as it affects the break significantly, with low to mid tides often being the most enjoyable.

Surf reports and surf forecasts nearby Playa Santa Teresa

Playa Coyote
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
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Sun 21
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Tue 23
Wed 24
Playa Caletas
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Playa Manzanillo
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Reef break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Playa Hermosa - Golfo Nicoya
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Santa Teresa
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Playa Santa Teresa
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Reef break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Playa Carmen
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Punta Barigona
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Point break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Sunset Reef
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Reef break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
Mal Pais
Provincia De Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Beach break
Sat 13
Sun 14
Mon 15
Tue 16
Wed 17
Thu 18
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Mon 22
Tue 23
Wed 24
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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Readme

Welcome! If youโ€™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:

๐Ÿ”ฎ 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.

๐Ÿ’จ Wind section

The first row on the table (with the ๐Ÿ’จ icon) shows wind speed, direction and gust. The more the wind speed the more aggressive the color (from blue, green, orange to red).

๐ŸŒŠ 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.

๐ŸŒ’ 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 โ€” handy when arrows overlap.

Forecast Cheat Sheet

Short on time? Focus on wave energy. Itโ€™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. Hereโ€™s the scale:

Perfect
Good
Average
Bad or No Data

Session logs also feed the algorithm โ€” the more you log, the smarter your forecasts get.

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