Pelada
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
66Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 613kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 456kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 337kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 211kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 174kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 270, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 574, good
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 741, too small
- Sun 832, too small
- Mon 951, fair
- Tue 1058, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr, Nov–Dec6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Pelada does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 70, good | 5 ft13 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 844kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 5 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 613kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 456kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 74, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 337kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 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 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:38 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.8 mHigh 09:04 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.9 mHigh 21:48 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:18 +0.8 mLow 16:32 −0.8 mHigh 22:55 +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, Nov–Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 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 Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Pelada 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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Pelada
More surf near here
5 places
- Olgas 0.4 km away
- Playa Guiones 3.8 km away
- Ostional 5.5 km away
- Barrigona 13.5 km away
- Marbella 17.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pelada
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 125). 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 April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, November and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in June, September and October, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nosara, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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
6 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Nosara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ostional on Booking.com
10 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Marbella on Booking.com
30 min by car · 5 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 25m
About 11h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → LIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.