.jpg){kind=link}
Mal Pais- Santa Teresa
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft13 sslab
- Energy
- 689kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 565kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 330kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 193kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 176, good
- Mon 272, good
- Tue 377, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 657, fair
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1069, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 76, good | 5 ft14 sslab9 ft at break (est.) | 976kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 72, good | 5 ft13 sslab8 ft at break (est.) | 689kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 77, good | 5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 565kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 330kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 249kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 216kJ | wind from the north, 4 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:37 −1.0 mHigh 06:48 +1.1 mLow 13:10 −1.1 mHigh 19:31 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:42 −0.9 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −1.0 mHigh 20:38 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:55 −0.8 mHigh 09:05 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.9 mHigh 21:49 +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 in Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 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
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Mal Pais- Santa Teresa on Google Maps · Directions
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
- Mar Azul 2 km away
- Santa Teresa 2.5 km away
- Sunset Reef 3.4 km away
- Playa Jackals 5.6 km away
- Playa los Cedros 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mal Pais- Santa Teresa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (239°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (59°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 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 April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually March, with about 7 good days in 7; in September and October, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Teresa, 2.1 km away (about 5 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$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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$288–US$596 |
| 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$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
4 min by car · 110 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Santa Teresa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mal Pais on Booking.com
5 min by car · 74 places to stay
- Beds in Montezuma on Booking.com
17 min by car · 42 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 12h 40m
About 12h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 45m by road
Flights ORD → LIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.