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Mal Pais- Santa Teresa
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
67Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 369kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 465kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 192kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 229kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 109kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 292kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 380, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 571, good
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 740, poor
- Sun 834, too small
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1067, good
- Wed 1151, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar7 good days in 7
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 | 80, good | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 369kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 465kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 71, good | 3 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 192kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 40, poor | 3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 292kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 67, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 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
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:55 −0.8 mHigh 09:05 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.9 mHigh 21:49 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:20 +0.8 mLow 16:33 −0.9 mHigh 22:57 +1.0 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:20 −0.9 mHigh 11:30 +0.8 mLow 17:38 −0.9 mHigh 23:58 +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.
Best time to go
best in Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Mal Pais- Santa Teresa 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Mar Azul 2 km away
- Santa Teresa 2.5 km away
- Sunset Reef 3.4 km away
- Playa Jackals 5.6 km away
- Playa los Cedros 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mal Pais- Santa Teresa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (239°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (59°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 2). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually March, with about 7 good days in 7; in September and October, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Teresa, 2.1 km away (7 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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
7 min by car · 110 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Santa Teresa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mal Pais on Booking.com
9 min by car · 74 places to stay
- Beds in Montezuma on Booking.com
28 min by car · 42 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 12h 40m
About 12h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 45m 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.