Playa Matapalo
Puntarenas · Costa Rica
Rating right now
Playa Matapalo is a S-facing sand beach on the Costa Rica shoreline, opening onto the Gulf of Tribugá — it catches SE–SW swell, and offshore NW–NE winds tidy the banks through year-round.
10-day forecast
Local time · updates hourly
Wave height & period
Wind
| Time | Rating | Waves | Swell | Wind | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water temperature by month
This month: ~28.5°C (83.3°F) on average
Jan
29.1°C
84.4°F · 27.5–30.5°C
Feb
29.5°C
85.1°F · 28.4–30.6°C
Mar
29.7°C
85.5°F · 28.1–30.6°C
Apr
29.6°C
85.3°F · 28.6–30.5°C
May
29.3°C
84.7°F · 28–31.2°C
Jun
28.8°C
83.8°F · 26.8–30.9°C
Jul
28.7°C
83.7°F · 27.1–29.9°C
Aug
28.9°C
84°F · 27.7–30.2°C
Sep
28.5°C
83.3°F · 26.7–30.2°C
Oct
28.1°C
82.6°F · 26.1–30°C
Nov
27.7°C
81.9°F · 26.4–29.2°C
Dec
28.4°C
83.1°F · 27–30°C
25-year monthly averages from the NOAA OISST satellite record — typical range min–max, not a live reading.
Know before you go
Best swell
SE–SW
Best wind
NW–NE
Break type
Beach break
Best season
Year-round
Safety: Friendly by surf standards, but rip currents and drop-in etiquette still apply. Shifting sandbars create moving rip currents — learn to spot them and use them to get out back.
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