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Playa Maderas
Surf spot · Nicaragua
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 486kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 432kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 90 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 294kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 190kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 280, good
- Tue 382, good
- Wed 478, good
- Thu 590, good
- Fri 686, good
- Sat 762, good
- Sun 845, fair
- Mon 934, too small
- Tue 1040, too small
- Wed 1127, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jun, Aug–Sep6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 80, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 617kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 82, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 486kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 78, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 432kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 90, good | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 86, good | 3 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 62, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 190kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 45, fair | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 29°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 01:41 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.8 mHigh 09:02 +0.8 mLow 15:21 −0.8 mHigh 21:46 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:08 −0.8 mHigh 10:16 +0.8 mLow 16:29 −0.8 mHigh 22:53 +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.
Best time to go
best May–Jun, Aug–Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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, its town, photos
Playa Maderas 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 Playa Maderas
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More surf near here
3 places
- playa dos remedios 3.2 km away
- San Juan Del Sur 5.8 km away
- Playa Remanso 10.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Playa Maderas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (229°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (49°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 25°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, August and September, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and February, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San Juan del Sur, 5.9 km away (about 10 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$643–US$1,210 each
about US$643–US$1,210 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 30 October 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$288–US$596 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$114–US$188 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$127–US$234 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$54–US$94 |
| Total | about US$643–US$1,210 |
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 · 143 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About San Juan del Sur its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Limon on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 18 places to stay
- Beds in Las Salinas on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 17 places to stay
About US$40 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 11h 25m
About 11h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 2h 30m 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.