Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 509kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 406kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 371kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 240kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 233kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 371, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 586, good
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 843, poor
- Mon 970, good
- Tue 1071, good
- Wed 1164, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Punta mala does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 509kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 86, good | 4 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 406kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 4 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 371kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 240kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 70, good | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 233kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 71, good | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 207kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 27°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 02:59 −0.8 mHigh 09:10 +0.9 mLow 15:27 −0.9 mHigh 21:52 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:14 −0.9 mHigh 10:26 +0.8 mLow 16:37 −0.9 mHigh 23:00 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:24 −0.9 mHigh 11:35 +0.9 mLow 17:42 −0.9 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Punta mala 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Turtle farms 2.8 km away
- Esterillos Oeste 3.4 km away
- Playa Hermosa Jaco 7.1 km away
- The Tree 8.8 km away
- Gully's 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta mala
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (186°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (6°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Esterillos Oeste, 2.9 km away (13 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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$879–US$1,630 each
about US$879–US$1,630 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 SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$611 |
| 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$879–US$1,630 |
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
13 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Esterillos Oeste its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Esterillos Este on Booking.com
18 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Jacó on Booking.com
33 min by car · 187 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 11h 10m
About 11h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights ORD → SJO 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.