Manuel Antonio

Best Surf Season (March - September)

Manuel Antonio faces SSW, and the surf year revolves around the pulse of Southern Hemisphere groundswell traveling north across the Pacific. From March through September, the average wave height at this exposed stretch of the Costa Rican coast climbs to 3.6-4.6ft (1.1-1.4m) and average periods reach a solid 13-14s. This is the most powerful, organized window of the year, with SSW and SW swells dominating over 90% of the spectrum in many months. The Intertropical Convergence Zone shifts north and the South Pacific storm track gets busy, sending long-period energy into the SSW-facing bay. The season is not perfect-afternoon onshore S/SW sea breezes are common, and ideal wind frequencies hover around 20-25%-but the surf is at its punchiest, and early mornings often offer clean, land-breeze sides.