El Estero- Tamarindo
Surf spot · Costa Rica
That date has passed, so this trip starts today.
Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 583kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 317kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 182kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 365, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 583, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 936, too small
- Tue 1038, too small
- Wed 1123, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 583kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 317kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 83, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 31°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.8 mHigh 21:47 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:09 −0.8 mHigh 10:17 +0.8 mLow 16:32 −0.8 mHigh 22:55 +1.0 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:20 −0.8 mHigh 11:27 +0.8 mLow 17:36 −0.8 mHigh 23:55 +1.1 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, its town, photos
El Estero- Tamarindo 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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of El Estero- Tamarindo
More surf near here
5 places
- Pico Grande 0.5 km away
- Tamarindo 0.8 km away
- Pico Pequeno 0.9 km away
- Suizo 1.4 km away
- Playa Grande 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Estero- Tamarindo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (276°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (96°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Tamarindo, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 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$872–US$1,620 each
about US$872–US$1,620 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
| 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$289–US$597 |
| 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$872–US$1,620 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Playa Grande its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Villarreal on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Tamarindo on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 10 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 10h 35m
About 10h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 1h 40m 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.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.