Staying Home Sucks, home

Playa Jackals

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

61Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 70 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 shollow
Energy
586kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 79 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 shollow
Energy
400kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
284kJ
Wind
SW 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
181kJ
Wind
SE 8 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 50 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
125kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
95kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 63 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
259kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 274, good
  2. Tue 370, good
  3. Wed 479, good
  4. Thu 555, fair
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 750, fair
  7. Sun 829, too small
  8. Mon 963, good
  9. Tue 1066, 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.

Playa Jackals does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Playa Jackals, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov74, good5 ft13 shollow8 ft at break (est.)777kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 3Nov70, good5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.)586kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov79, good4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.)400kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Thu 5Nov55, fair3 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.)284kJwind from the south-west, 7 knots26°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)181kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov50, fair3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots26°C
Sun 8Nov29, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)95kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Mon 9Nov63, good3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)259kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov66, good3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)208kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore28°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 −0.9 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
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:20 +0.8 mLow 16:33 −0.9 mHigh 22:57 +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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Playa Jackals

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (230°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (50°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 Mal Pais, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$288–US$596
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout 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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Mal Pais

about 5 min by car · 74 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 74 places to stay in Mal Pais · Booking.com

About Mal Pais 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 12h 35m

About 12h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 40m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.