Staying Home Sucks, home

Playa Jackals

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

63Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 71 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
537kJ
Wind
SE 8 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 shollow
Energy
415kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 62 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
326kJ
Wind
ESE 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 shollow
Energy
189kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 41 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
136kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
98kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
232kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 274, good
  2. Tue 371, good
  3. Wed 477, good
  4. Thu 562, good
  5. Fri 647, fair
  6. Sat 741, too small
  7. Sun 837, too small
  8. Mon 964, good
  9. Tue 1066, good
  10. Wed 1164, good

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.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Playa Jackals, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov74, good5 ft13 shollow8 ft at break (est.)803kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 3Nov71, good5 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)537kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov77, good4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.)415kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov62, good3 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.)326kJwind from the east-south-east, 9 knots25°C
Fri 6Nov47, fair3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)189kJwind from the south, 6 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov41, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)136kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov37, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Mon 9Nov64, good3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov66, good3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)212kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 11Nov64, good3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)143kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore29°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 −0.9 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −1.0 mHigh 20:38 +1.0 m
  • 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

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 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Playa Jackals

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

The spot faces SW (230°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (50°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 Mal Pais, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$289–US$597
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$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

Closest

Mal Pais

about 5 min by car · 74 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 74 places to stay in Mal Pais · Booking.com

About Mal Pais its beds, food and every spot near it

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 35m

About 12h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 40m by road

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

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