Los tumbos
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 224, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 82, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 102, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jul, Dec4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 27°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 00:10 −0.2 mHigh 06:45 +0.1 mLow 11:08 −0.0 mHigh 17:30 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:47 −0.2 mHigh 07:28 +0.1 mLow 12:32 −0.0 mHigh 18:27 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 01:24 −0.1 mHigh 08:13 +0.1 mLow 14:10 −0.0 mHigh 19:34 +0.1 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.
Best time to go
best Jul, Dec
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
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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
Los tumbos 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
2 places
- Uvita Island 5.9 km away
- Caca rio 17.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Los tumbos
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (25°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (205°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July and December, with about 4 good days in 7; in September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Limón, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 29°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: Limón
7 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Limón 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 13h 20m
About 13h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 4h 15m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.