Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 542kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 467kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 395kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 331kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 304kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 ssoft
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 148, fair
- Mon 242, too small
- Tue 340, too small
- Wed 438, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft14 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 716kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 42, too small | 4 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 542kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 40, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 467kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 395kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 304kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft16 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 222kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:40 −1.0 mHigh 06:51 +1.1 mLow 13:12 −1.1 mHigh 19:33 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:45 −0.9 mHigh 07:56 +1.0 mLow 14:16 −1.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:59 −0.8 mHigh 09:10 +0.9 mLow 15:27 −0.9 mHigh 21:52 +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
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
- Jun6of 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 Mon 2 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
Punta mala on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Turtle farms 2.8 km away
- Esterillos Oeste 3.4 km away
- Playa Hermosa Jaco 7.1 km away
- The Tree 8.8 km away
- Gully's 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta mala
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (186°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (6°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Esterillos Oeste, 2.9 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$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
5 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Esterillos Oeste its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Esterillos Este on Booking.com
14 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Jacó on Booking.com
27 min by car · 187 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 10m
About 11h 10m 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.