Best Time to Surf Nicaragua: Swell, Wind and Level Month by Month

The best time to surf Nicaragua depends on your level. South and southwest swells are biggest from May to August, which suits intermediate and advanced surfers. November to January brings mid-sized, clean waves for beginners, and February is the month several sources tell you to skip. Monkeys Travels & Tours runs private surf lessons at Playa Maderas.

Weather, rain and the dry and rainy seasons are covered in our guide to the best time to visit Nicaragua, in its section on surf at Maderas and Popoyo. This page adds what that guide leaves out: the swell, the wind and what each month means for each level.

Why the wind blows offshore

Nicaragua's Pacific coast faces southwest, and the prevailing trade winds come from the northeast, off the Caribbean. Rapture Surfcamps explains that Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua open two gaps in the mountains, so those winds cross the country and blow out to sea over the beaches. That is what surfers call offshore: wind that holds the face of the wave up instead of crumbling it. Surf-Forecast gives the offshore direction at Popoyo as northeast, and Mondo Surf lists north, northeast or east as the best winds at Maderas.

The figure of "300 days a year" of offshore wind appears in Mondo Surf, Wikivoyage, Chica Brava and Rapture, but none of them shows the data behind it. Read it as an estimate.

Rapture adds two details. Early mornings are usually the cleanest, because the land cools overnight and the breeze runs from land to sea. And every few weeks a stronger gap wind, the Papagayo, can blow for a couple of days at up to 110 km/h.

Where the swell comes from

Chica Brava describes Nicaragua as a south swell coast that depends on winter storms in the southern hemisphere, from roughly March to November. The Surf Atlas places the biggest waves from May to August, driven by southeast and southwest Pacific groundswells. From December to March, The Surf Atlas's Popoyo guide describes weaker northwest swells and smaller waves.

Month by month, by level

The table combines The Surf Atlas (2025 and 2026 updates), Chica Brava (2017), Surf-Forecast and Mondo Surf. Where sources disagree, the table says so.

Month	Swell	Wind and water	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
January	small to mid; 2 to 4 ft on Chica Brava's scale	offshore stronger; water colder	good, prime for learners	fair	small
February	distinct dip in swell quality	windiest month, cold upwelling	Surf Atlas says skip it	weak	weak
March	season begins (Chica Brava)	offshore still strong; water warms from early March	fair	improving	improving
April	swell almost daily	offshore, less strong than January to March	fair	good	good
May	south and southwest swells arrive	offshore most days	sheltered spots only	good	barrels at Popoyo Main Reef
June	big swell season; 4 to 7 ft on Chica Brava's scale	offshore most days	sheltered spots only	good	very good
July	Popoyo clean about 90 percent of the time	offshore most days	sheltered spots only	very good	very good
August	still in the peak window	offshore most days	sheltered spots only	very good	very good
September	swells continue	rainy	sheltered spots only	good	good
October	swells continue; heavier rain	rainy	Surf Atlas lists it as fine for beginners; Chica Brava closes its camp	good	good
November	Popoyo clean about 94 percent of the time	offshore	prime for learners	good	good
December	mid-sized, weaker northwest swells	offshore	prime for learners	good	fair

Two cautions. The percentages are Surf-Forecast's long-term statistics for Popoyo, not a forecast for your week. And the "sheltered spots only" cells mean that in big months a beginner should be on Remanso, the bay of San Juan del Sur or Beginner Bay in Popoyo, not on an exposed peak. The Surf Atlas notes that Maderas and the San Juan del Sur area offer more protection on big days.

Maderas or Popoyo

	Playa Maderas	Popoyo
Where	about 10 to 12 km north of San Juan del Sur	Tola, about 100 km south of Managua
Bottom	sand beach break	reef
Wave	lefts and rights, main peak a right	A-frame, lefts and rights
Best tide	mid-incoming; rarely good at dead low	all tides
Best swell	south, southwest or west	southwest
Crowd	20 to 30 surfers on busy days	can get crowded when it works
Beginners	sources disagree; depends on the swell	Beginner Bay, sheltered by a breakwater
Big days	protected compared with open peaks	Outer Reef needs very large swells, experts only

Mondo Surf rates both spots as very consistent, with more than 150 surfable days a year. The Surf Atlas calls Popoyo the more versatile option for intermediates and up, and describes its Outer Reef as starting to work at 12 feet. Wikivoyage reports waves at Popoyo from 2 to 20 feet. For a first lesson, starting near San Juan del Sur is simpler; for an intermediate surfer who wants a reef, Popoyo is the next step.

Our Tola beaches tour is a full day to Popoyo, Guasacate and Playa Gigante, from US$40 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$75 solo, with private transport, a beach guide, snorkeling equipment and water. Surf lessons are not included on that day. See the La Flor and Tola page for the area.

Water temperature and wetsuits

Chica Brava reports that the water gets colder from January to early March, and The Surf Atlas links the cold to upwelling in windy February. Along Dusty Roads notes that the water at Maderas is colder than at other Pacific spots and wetsuits are common. On the Monkeys surf lesson, a wetsuit is an optional rental of US$5, not included in the price.

Booking a lesson around the season

Tour	Duration	Price	Included
Surf Lesson Playa Maderas	2 to 3 hours	from US$35 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$55 solo	instructor, transport to Maderas, board and rash guard, water
San Juan del Sur Full Day	8 hours	from US$45 per person (groups of 4 to 6); US$75 solo	private guide, transport from Rivas, entrance fees, water; surf lesson optional

Surf lesson prices by group size: US$55 solo, US$45 for 2 or 3, US$35 for 4 to 6, US$30 for 7 to 10 and US$28 for 11 to 15; 16 or more are quoted. Not included: wetsuit, meals, tips and travel insurance. To pick a beach for your level, see our guide to San Juan del Sur beaches.

What Monkeys does

Monkeys Travels & Tours is a private tour operator based in Rivas, founded in 2018 by Everth Palma, who was born and raised in Rivas.

• Private lessons and tours. Your group only, never combined with other travelers.
• Bilingual bilingual guides born in Rivas, in a private vehicle.
• Daytime departures.
• WhatsApp at +505 8506 1173, every day from 7:00 to 20:00, with answers in under an hour.
• Written confirmation of price and inclusions. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure, useful if a big swell or a Papagayo wind changes the plan.

Send us your dates, your level, the number of people and your hotel on WhatsApp.