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Puerto Caldera, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. - panoramio
Caldera, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Peloy (Allan H.M.), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Corralillo

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

6Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 shollow
Energy
24kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
33kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
30kJ
Wind
SE 9 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
34kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
31kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
34kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 28, too small
  2. Tue 35, too small
  3. Wed 46, too small
  4. Thu 58, too small
  5. Fri 68, too small
  6. Sat 75, too small
  7. Sun 84, too small
  8. Mon 94, too small
  9. Tue 107, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

Corralillo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Corralillo, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov8, too small1 ft11 shollow1 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 3Nov5, too small1 ft11 shollow1 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov6, too small1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov8, too small2 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov8, too small1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov5, too small1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov4, too small1 ft15 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov4, too small1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots28°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 01:45 −0.9 mHigh 07:57 +1.0 mLow 14:15 −1.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:58 −0.9 mHigh 09:10 +0.9 mLow 15:26 −0.9 mHigh 21:52 +1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:13 −0.9 mHigh 10:26 +0.9 mLow 16:36 −0.9 mHigh 23:00 +1.1 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 beginners: 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 Corralillo

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

The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). 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 March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Caldera, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

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$878–US$1,630 each

about US$878–US$1,630 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 SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$295–US$610
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$878–US$1,630

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

Caldera

about 10 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Caldera · Booking.com

About Caldera 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 05m

About 11h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 2h by road

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