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Pto Limon, Costa Rica - panoramio
Limón, the nearest town, 14 km away. Photo: Tereso Hernández, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Caca rio

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

11Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 21 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
58kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
27kJ
Wind
S 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 smushy
Energy
7kJ
Wind
SW 1 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
2kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
30°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 227, too small
  2. Tue 321, too small
  3. Wed 411, too small
  4. Thu 510, too small
  5. Fri 66, too small
  6. Sat 77, too small
  7. Sun 84, too small
  8. Mon 92, too small
  9. Tue 101, too small
  10. Wed 118, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Mar, Jul, Dec4 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Caca rio, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov27, too small4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov21, too small3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore29°C
Wed 4Nov11, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the south, 3 knots29°C
Thu 5Nov10, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore29°C
Fri 6Nov6, too small1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the south, 4 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov7, too small1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore25°C
Sun 8Nov4, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the west, 3 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 9Nov2, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots30°C
Tue 10Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots29°C
Wed 11Nov8, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots29°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 00:08 −0.2 mHigh 06:42 +0.1 mLow 11:08 −0.0 mHigh 17:31 +0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:46 −0.2 mHigh 07:26 +0.1 mLow 12:32 −0.0 mHigh 18:28 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:23 −0.1 mHigh 08:11 +0.1 mLow 14:09 −0.0 mHigh 19:35 +0.1 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Caca rio

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

The spot faces NE (53°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (233°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, July and December, with about 4 good days in 7; in October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Limón.

Water about 29°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$879–US$1,630 each

about US$879–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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$295–US$611
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$879–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: Limón

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

Closest

Limón

about 25 min by car · 27 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 27 places to stay in Limón · Booking.com

About Limón its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Limón, 14 km (about 25 min by car)

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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 13h 30m

About 13h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 4h 25m by road

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

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