Rio Claro
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
54Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 219kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 204kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 188, good
- Mon 273, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 455, fair
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 631, too small
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 828, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1061, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 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 | 88, good | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 477kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 204kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 61, good | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 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 −1.1 mHigh 06:50 +1.2 mLow 13:12 −1.2 mHigh 19:33 +1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:46 −0.9 mHigh 07:55 +1.0 mLow 14:17 −1.1 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:00 −0.9 mHigh 09:09 +0.9 mLow 15:28 −1.0 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
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Rio Claro 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Rio Claro
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (293°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (113°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 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 March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Drake, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car).
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: Drake
10 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Drake 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 14h 05m
About 14h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 5h by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.