Staying Home Sucks, home
Costa Rica DSCN9688-new
Sámara, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Åsa Berndtsson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Barrigona

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

64Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 69 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
602kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
419kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 84 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 shollow
Energy
328kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 52 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
190kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
116kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 19 out of 100

Swell
1 ft16 shollow
Energy
56kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
182kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 269, good
  2. Tue 369, good
  3. Wed 481, good
  4. Thu 584, good
  5. Fri 652, fair
  6. Sat 747, fair
  7. Sun 819, too small
  8. Mon 949, fair
  9. Tue 1065, good

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Barrigona, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov69, good5 ft13 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)803kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 3Nov69, good5 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)602kJwind from the east, 4 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov81, good4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)419kJwind from the east, 3 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov84, good4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)328kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore25°C
Fri 6Nov52, fair3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)190kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov47, fair3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)116kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots26°C
Sun 8Nov19, too small1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the east, 6 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov49, fair3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)182kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov65, good3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)208kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:38 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:55 −0.8 mHigh 09:04 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.9 mHigh 21:48 +0.9 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:19 +0.8 mLow 16:33 −0.8 mHigh 22:56 +1.0 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Barrigona

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (198°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (18°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sámara, 5.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$871–US$1,610 each

about US$871–US$1,610 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$288–US$596
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$871–US$1,610

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Sámara

about 10 min by car · 81 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 81 places to stay in Sámara · Booking.com

About Sámara its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$74 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 11h 40m

About 11h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 2h 45m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.