Reef
both
Level 6/10

Popoyo

Rivas, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef🦔Urchins

Popoyo is Nicaragua's flagship surf destination—a reef break that catches virtually every SW swell and offers multiple peaks to choose from. The setup is perfect for a surf trip: consistent waves, warm water, offshore morning winds, and a growing infrastructure of surf camps and restaurants. The reef produces both left and right options, with the outer reef getting heavier and hollower. This is where Central American surf trips often begin and end.

3-Day Forecast
Today
29
50
Fair
1.1m
@14s
22km/h
Thu
30
48
Fair
1.2m
@13s
23km/h
Fri
1
38
Poor
1.0m
@13s
20km/h
+7
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Today's Conditions

Swell
1.1m
SSW(193°)
Score: 8/25
Period
14s
Long period groundswell
Score: 14/25
Wind
22km/h
ENE(73°)
Score: 14/25
Weather
32°C
0.0mm10%
Windswell Component
0.4mE@2s
Secondary Swell
0.4mWSW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 19 km/h ENE|PM: 20 km/h ENE
Lighter winds early (19 km/h)
Tide at 6am (-0.5m)

Location & Conditions

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0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
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Showing forecast for today

Tide Times

6:32 am
Low tide - -0.49m
12:53 pm
High tide - 1.35m
7:11 pm
Low tide - -0.52m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

50
Fair
Components
Swell Direction14/25
Swell Size8/25
Swell Period14/25
Wind14/25
Raw Score50/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score50

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (210°)
Direction range
180° - 250°
Size range
1m - 3.5m
Ideal size
2.9m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (45°)
Offshore range
0° - 90°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid
Optimal range
0.5m - 1.8m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

5/10

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

SW swell season. Offshore winds most mornings.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
120 min
Data quality
verified

🤙 Strike Specialist

The Strike Specialist in Nicaragua is Sea Nicaragua Travel. Get in touch with them for the best chance of scoring the best waves in Nicaragua — and don't forget to tell 'em Barrel D sent ya.

Strike Log

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