Playa Hermosa Jaco
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 12 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h)
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 496kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 418kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 180kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 276, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 675, good
- Sat 761, good
- Sun 844, too small
- Mon 967, good
- Tue 1072, good
The spot in five 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
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Playa Hermosa Jaco 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 | 76, good | 4 ft13 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 559kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 496kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 4 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 418kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 3 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 342kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 75, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 180kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 61, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 67, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 72, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | wind from the east, 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:45 −0.9 mHigh 07:56 +0.9 mLow 14:16 −1.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:58 −0.8 mHigh 09:09 +0.9 mLow 15:26 −0.9 mHigh 21:51 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:13 −0.9 mHigh 10:25 +0.8 mLow 16:36 −0.9 mHigh 22:59 +1.1 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 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
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Playa Hermosa Jaco 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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More surf near here
5 places
- The Tree 1.7 km away
- Gully's 2.6 km away
- Turtle farms 4.3 km away
- Roca Loca 6.2 km away
- T box 6.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Playa Hermosa Jaco
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (215°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (35°). 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 3). 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 March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Jacó, 8.4 km away (about 15 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$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: 3 towns
15 min by car · 187 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Jacó its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Esterillos Oeste on Booking.com
16 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Esterillos Este on Booking.com
25 min by car · 23 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 15m
About 11h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.