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Herradura
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 507kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 303kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 361kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 314kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 238kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 194kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 250, fair
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 438, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 109, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr–May, Nov6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft13 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 638kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 507kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 361kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 314kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 194kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 28°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 07:56 +0.9 mLow 14:16 −1.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:58 −0.8 mHigh 09:09 +0.9 mLow 15:26 −0.9 mHigh 21:51 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:13 −0.9 mHigh 10:25 +0.8 mLow 16:36 −0.9 mHigh 22:59 +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.
Best time to go
best Apr–May, Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Herradura on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- La Isla 2.7 km away
- Escondida 3.1 km away
- Jaco 4.5 km away
- El Culo 5.8 km away
- Playa Blanca (el punto) 6.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Herradura
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (245°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (65°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 2). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and November, with about 6 good days in 7; in January, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Jacó, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$610 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$161 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about 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
8 min by car · 187 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Jacó its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Quebrada Ganado on Booking.com
15 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Bajamar on Booking.com
38 min by car · 4 places to stay
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 15m
About 11h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.