Playa Santa Teresa • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (December - March)

The heart of Playa Santa Teresa's surf calendar arrives when the Northeast Trade Winds settle in over the tropical eastern Pacific. With the ITCZ displaced south and the dry season in full swing, mornings routinely light up with offshore N to ENE flow. Swell meanwhile is groomed and consistent: the South Pacific sends long-period SSW/SW groundswell in the 1-1.2m range, with clean 12.5-13.6s intervals. Water temps hover around 28-29°C and rainfall is minimal, meaning glassy mornings and fun, rippable waves down the beach. This is the window when Santa Teresa feels most like a point-and-shoot swell magnet.

Fair Surf Season (April & November)

April and November are transition months. In April, the first convective rains arrive and the Northeast trades weaken, but the ocean still holds excellent SSW groundswell around 1.3m with very long 14s periods; morning offshore windows become shorter. November marks the flip side: the dry season re-establishes, offshore wind frequency jumps back to 51%, and consistent SSW/SW swells in the 1.3m range deliver some fantastic sessions for those willing to navigate the lingering rainy-season cloud cover.

Low Surf Season (May - October)

From May through October, the ITCZ sits overhead and the Northeast trade winds disappear. Onshore S/SSW/SW/WSW flow dominates the afternoon, and ideal wind percentages drop to 31-42%. The silver lining is that the South Pacific winter storm track is roaring, producing the largest average swells of the year, 1.4-1.5m with 13-14s periods. But because the wind and swell share the same S/SW quadrant, wave quality is frequently compromised by lumpy, windblown conditions. Early-morning cleanups and transient N/NNE pushes are the primary windows, making this the most challenging but also sometimes most powerful time of year.