Los tumbos
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 162, good
- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 332, too small
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 105, 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Los tumbos does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 62, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 06:02 +0.0 mLow 09:53 −0.0 mHigh 16:39 +0.2 m
- 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
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 Mon 2 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 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
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.