Swell Cabin › Mexico & Central America › Costa Rica

Nosara surf guide

Eco-minded jungle town with Playa Guiones, a consistent, uncrowded beach break for all levels, and plenty of yoga.

Location
Guanacaste, Costa Rica (9.9750, -85.6530)
Best season
Mar – Nov: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Water temperature
26–30°C (boardshorts)
Waves
Beach break
Suits
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers

Live surf cams in Nosara

Surf spots in Nosara

Where to stay in Nosara

139 places to stay within 14 km: 74 hotel, 15 guest house, 13 holiday rental, 11 resort, 7 surf camp, 7 bed and breakfast, 6 villa, 3 hostel, 2 camp site, 1 chalet. Compare them by distance to the nearest surf spot on the interactive map.

Surf camps: Mamawata Surf Retreat, The Beach Break Surf Hotel, Moana Surf Resort, La Negra Surf Hotel, Ride On! Surf Hotel, Ostional Surf House, KayaSol Surf Hotel.

Hostels: Hostel Nicoa, Sun Spot Marbella, La Casona.

Cafés, food and surf shops

15 cafés and bakeries, 89 restaurants and bars, 16 surf schools and 3 surf shops nearby. Surf schools: Surf Pelada, Nosara Tico Surf School, Playa Guiones Surf School, Surf Pacífico, Selva Surf nosara, Nosara CR Surf School, Nosara Tico Surf School, Corky Carrolls Surf School.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to surf in Nosara?

The best surf season in Nosara is Mar – Nov (March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November). The sea ranges from 26°C to 30°C over the year.

Which months have the most good surf days in Nosara?

Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Nosara's best spot were good or better most often in July (96% of days, 80% great), May (99% of days, 70% great) and October (99% of days, 69% great), and least often in February (87%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.

Do I need a wetsuit in Nosara?

Water temperature in Nosara is 26–30°C: boardshorts.

Is Nosara good for beginner surfers?

Yes. Nosara suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Nosara, Playa Guiones and Ostional.

What are the surf spots in Nosara?

Nosara has 3 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Nosara (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides); Playa Guiones (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides); Ostional (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid to high tide).

Where should surfers stay in Nosara?

Swell Cabin lists 139 places to stay within 14 km of Nosara, including 7 surf camps such as Mamawata Surf Retreat, The Beach Break Surf Hotel, Moana Surf Resort and La Negra Surf Hotel, 3 hostels, 15 guesthouses and homestays, 19 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.

What is the surf forecast for Nosara this week?

Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Nosara and each of its 3 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/nosara: each spot rated hour by hour (Flat, Poor, Fair, Good, Great or Epic) from the way its coast faces, the swell, its period, the wind and the tide, with the best time each day and why, the size in surfers' words (e.g. "chest to head high, clean"), tides, and how sure the forecast is (three wave models compared). It is checked live against the nearest buoy and airport wind reports where there are any, and refreshed every few hours (waves from Open-Meteo, wind from MET Norway).

When is the best tide to surf in Nosara?

It depends on the spot: shallow reefs usually want mid to high tide, most beach breaks work best around mid tide. Swell Cabin's forecast for Nosara weighs each spot's tide hour by hour and shows the best window each day with the high and low tide times (approximate: there is no tide gauge near the town).

Is the Nosara surf forecast checked against measurements?

Yes. The open water off Nosara is checked against the satellite altimeters (Copernicus Marine's near-real-time wave heights): 50 satellite passes within 100 km since 2026-09-23, typically 70 km out, put the forecast wave height within 20% of the measurement 100% of the time. Of the three wave models compared, Météo-France has been the closest to the satellites here. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information (https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00179). Last checked 2026-11-05.

How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Nosara?

Trust in this page's data is medium (55/100): the town has not been verified against sources in the last 12 months; 0 of 3 spots fully verified, 3 with a researched tide; season and water temperature checked against measured data; no open audit warnings. How we check: https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-accuracy.md Last checked against sources on 2026-11-05. Every value comes from measured data (Open-Meteo, buoys), open databases (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata) or a published page we opened, never from visitor reports; a daily audit compares them and a weekly evaluation measures the error rate (https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-quality.md).

Is there a live surf cam in Nosara?

Yes: Nosara (Moana) on Moana Surf Resort (free); Nosara on Vacation Nosara (YouTube) (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly.

Where can I take surf lessons in Nosara?

Surf schools in and around Nosara include Surf Pelada, Nosara Tico Surf School, Playa Guiones Surf School, Surf Pacífico, Selva Surf nosara and Nosara CR Surf School.

Nearby surf towns

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