Popoyo
Surf spot · Nicaragua
Is it worth the trip?
71Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Mon 2 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 699kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 648kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 519kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 92 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 426kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 274kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 159kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 171, good
- Mon 271, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 592, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 952, fair
- Tue 1055, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Popoyo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 71, good | 5 ft13 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 901kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 33°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 71, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 699kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 648kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 92, good | 4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 426kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 274kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 159kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 30°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 06:50 +1.1 mLow 13:13 −1.0 mHigh 19:32 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:41 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:21 −0.8 mHigh 21:46 +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.
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).
- Jan5of 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
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 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 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
Popoyo 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
- Playa Guasacate 1.1 km away
- Santana 4.3 km away
- Astillero 7.7 km away
- Colorado 9.1 km away
- Chacocente 11.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Popoyo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (218°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (38°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Popoyo, 1.9 km away (about 5 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$643–US$1,210 each
about US$643–US$1,210 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$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$114–US$188 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$127–US$234 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$54–US$94 |
| Total | about US$643–US$1,210 |
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
1 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About Guasacate its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Popoyo on Booking.com
3 min by car · 24 places to stay
- Beds in Las Salinas on Booking.com
3 min by car · 17 places to stay
About US$40 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 20m
About 12h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 25m by road
Flights ORD → LIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.