San Juan Del Sur
Surf spot · Nicaragua
Is it worth the trip?
74Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 491kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 451kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 90 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 289kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 152kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 273, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 590, good
- Fri 683, good
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 827, too small
- Mon 933, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 5 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 638kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 491kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 451kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 90, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 83, good | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 152kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 29°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 01:41 −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 09:02 +0.8 mLow 15:21 −0.8 mHigh 21:46 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:08 −0.8 mHigh 10:16 +0.8 mLow 16:29 −0.8 mHigh 22:53 +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 beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
San Juan Del Sur 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.
More surf near here
3 places
- playa dos remedios 2.6 km away
- Playa Remanso 4.6 km away
- Playa Maderas 5.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About San Juan Del Sur
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 San Juan del Sur, 0.1 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: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 143 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About San Juan del Sur its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Limon on Booking.com
about 1h by car · 18 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 11h 25m
About 11h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → LIR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.