Surfing in Nicaragua!
Plan a tropical surf trip or learn to surf at one of our surf camps or surf resorts!

Southern Nicaragua is blessed
with about 300 plus days
per year of off-shore winds which makes for world class surf conditions!

Surfing in Nicaragua with our off shore winds makes for really great conditions. Our off-shore winds are really the Caribbean trade winds which blow across the country, from the Atlantic Coast. These winds blow across Lake Nicaragua, the largest fresh water lake in Central America and across to our Pacific Coast, providing us with our wave grooming off-shore winds.

Our prime surf season starts in May and runs through September. October is our rainiest month and it is not uncommon to receive many days of on shore winds. Therefore, many of the local businesses close for the month.
Tropical water temperatures for this time of year are around
85 degrees Fahrenheit plus or 30 plus degrees Celsius.
Nice and toasty!

Surf is usually the biggest this time of year with small days at
about 2-4 feet or 1 meter plus and with average heights of
4-6 feet or 2 meters!
And, some days much bigger!

Our other surf season, the smaller surf season starts in
November through April. There is still plenty of surf this time of year and a good time to come and learn to surf as the surf is not only a bit smaller but also a bit less strong.
Surf runs around 2-4 feet or 1 meter plus on average for this time of year.

Our tropical waters can get a bit cool during this season since it is also our strongest off shore wind season.
Water temperatures drop as low as 70 degrees Fahrenheit or
20 degrees Celsius, when the wind has been blowing really strong for days.

Heading North from the town is Playa Maderas the most consistent spot in Southern Nicaragua.
It is about a 15-20 minute drive from San Juan del Sur, depending on road conditions.
Playa Maderas is a beach break, with rights and lefts and with 3 different peaks on most swells and prefers a medium to high tide.

Playa Colorado and Panga Drops is about an hour to a hour and a half drive North along the Chocolata Road, (aka the Coast Highway).
A bit of a drive and access is through the private Iguanna’s Resort so a surfing panga boat trip out of San Juan can be worth it for
enjoying a day of surf.

Manzanillo is just south of Colorados but only accessible by boat.

Further North is the famous surf spot of Popoyo, about a two hour drive from San Juan del Sur.
This is where you see the surf photos of the tow-ins on the big days at Outer Reef!

Heading South from San Juan del Sur the first surf spot you will find is Playa Remanso, about a 10 minute drive from town.
Also a beach break which likes a medium to high tide.

Playa Hermosa is the next break and is a long, beautiful sandy beach
with 5-7 peeks depending on the swell direction. This is the spot where Survivor Nicaragua filmed its first season and is now accessible by car. There is a small entry fee but well worth it, as Hermosa has a nice little restaurant on the beach and bathrooms with a fresh water shower.
And like all our breaks in Southern Nicaragua, it likes a medium to high tide and has both rights and lefts.

Playa Yankee is the next cove down and is a fun though technically challenging left.

Playa Coco is about an hour to an hour and a half drive from
San Juan del Sur. A beautiful long sandy beach but not really any surf though rumor has it that on big, big south swells it can get good.

And La Flor, the turtle preserve is located just about another 15 minutes down the road.