Beach
both
Level 6/10

Dominical

Puntarenas, Costa Rica
🌀Strong rips😮‍💨Hold-downs

Dominical is Costa Rica's wild southern showcase—a powerful beach break backed by primary jungle where humpback whales pass offshore during their annual migration. The wave doesn't mess around: heavy lips, strong rips, and a reputation for humbling those who underestimate its power. This is not a beginner beach, despite what some tourists discover the hard way. The jungle setting creates a mystical atmosphere, with toucans and monkeys providing the soundtrack and the kind of dramatic tropical scenery that defines postcard Costa Rica. Come prepared for a workout.

10-Day Forecast
Today
21
50
Fair
1.2m
@12s
7km/h
Mon
22
39
Poor
0.8m
@12s
7km/h
Tue
23
62
Fair
0.9m
@15s
7km/h
Wed
24
59
Fair
1.1m
@14s
8km/h
Thu
25
54
Fair
1.2m
@12s
6km/h
Fri
26
39
Poor
1.2m
@10s
7km/h
Sat
27
71
Good
0.8m
@15s
6km/h
Sun
28
60
Fair
0.7m
@14s
7km/h
Mon
29
65
Good
1.0m
@14s
8km/h
Tue
30
51
Fair
0.8m
@13s
4km/h

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Swell
1.2m
SW(221°)
Score: 11/25
Period
12s
Medium period swell
Score: 6/25
Wind
7km/h
S(190°)
Score: 15/25
Weather
26°C
0.9mm90%
Secondary Swell
0.2mW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 3 km/h SSE|PM: 5 km/h S
Lighter winds early (3 km/h)
Tide at 7am (1.7m)

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
View in OpenStreetMap
Showing forecast for today

Tide Times

12:45 am
Low tide - -0.61m
7:09 am
High tide - 1.66m
1:20 pm
Low tide - -0.40m
7:27 pm
High tide - 1.41m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

50
Fair
Components
Swell Direction15/25
Swell Size11/25
Swell Period6/25
Wind15/25
Raw Score47/100
Adjustments
🌊 Tide+3
Adjusted Score50/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score50
🌊 Mostly in the tide window
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Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (205°)
Direction range
175° - 245°
Size range
0.8m - 3m
Ideal size
2.3m
Height multiplier
0.92×
Ideal period
16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
ENE (60°)
Offshore range
20° - 100°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid
Optimal range
0.4m - 1.6m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

5/10

Access: 3hr drive from San Jose. Southern zone.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Secondary: Nov, Mar

SW swell season. Heavy beach break.

Getting There

Airport
SJO
Drive time
180 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion