Pico Grande
Surf spot · Costa Rica
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 583kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 317kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 182kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 270, good
- Tue 366, good
- Wed 481, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 742, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1031, too small
- Wed 1120, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Pico Grande does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 70, good | 5 ft13 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 733kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 66, good | 5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 583kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 81, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 317kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft12 shollow2 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:15 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
- 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
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
Pico Grande on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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 Pico Grande
More surf near here
5 places
- Pico Pequeno 0.3 km away
- Tamarindo 0.3 km away
- El Estero- Tamarindo 0.5 km away
- Suizo 0.9 km away
- Playa Langosta 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pico Grande
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (283°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (103°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). 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 Playa Grande, 3.6 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.