Pico Grande
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
67Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 625kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 571kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 317kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 308kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 168, good
- Mon 272, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
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 | 68, good | 6 ft14 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 1,057kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 33°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 72, good | 5 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 625kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 5 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 571kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 317kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 31°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 −0.9 mHigh 06:49 +1.1 mLow 13:12 −1.0 mHigh 19:31 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:15 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.8 mHigh 21:47 +0.9 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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Pico Grande 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.
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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 Pico Grande
More surf near here
5 places
- Pico Pequeno 0.3 km away
- Tamarindo 0.3 km away
- El Estero- Tamarindo 0.5 km away
- Suizo 0.9 km away
- Playa Langosta 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pico Grande
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (283°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (103°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Playa Grande, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 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 · 16 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Playa Grande its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Villarreal on Booking.com
7 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Tamarindo on Booking.com
7 min by car · 10 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 10h 35m
About 10h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 1h 40m by road
Flights ORD → LIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.