Witches Rock • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (May - October)

As the sun drives the Intertropical Convergence Zone north, southern-hemisphere winter storms begin to fire long-period groundswell toward the Americas. The southwest-facing beach at Witches Rock lines up beautifully with the dominant SSW and SW swell, and the average period stays in the 12.5-13.7s range. Mix that with lighter offshore NE-ENE trade winds and you have the recipe for clean, rippable waves. The average height hovers around 1.2-1.3m (4-4.3ft), with plenty of sets in the fun 1-1.5m (3-5ft) zone and occasional 1.5-2m (5-6.5ft) pulses. This is when the true quality window opens at Witches Rock.

Fair Surf Season (April & November)

April and November are transition months in Costa Rica. The northeast trade-wind regime is either relaxing or re-establishing, and the swell mix contains both lingering NE/ENE windswell and increasing or decreasing SSW/SW groundswell. The average periods in these months are solid - 13.1s and 11.5s respectively - but the direction can be inconsistent. You will still score fun sessions when a proper southern-hemisphere swell lines up, especially with an offshore breeze, but don't expect the same consistency as the summer months.

Low Surf Season (December - March)

This is the trade-wind control season for Witches Rock. The Pacific side of Costa Rica comes under the influence of strong NE-ENE trade winds generated by high pressure over the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Offshore wind is plentiful, but the swell direction is far from ideal. The bulk of the energy arrives from ENE and NE, with only a small percentage from the optimal SSW-W window. The average period drops to 8-11s, producing average, punchy and often disorganized waves. March is the pick of the low season, as longer-period SW energy starts to creep back into the mix and the ideal-wind percentage climbs to 35%.