Beach

both

Level 5/10

Colorados

Tola, Nicaragua

🏝️Remote🦈Sharks

YouTubeWatch on YouTube CustomizeCustomize this spot

Colorados is one of Nicaragua's best-known beach breaks: fast and barreling, with plenty of A-frame peaks, inside the private Hacienda Iguana golf and beach club near Popoyo. When SW swells pulse in, the sandbars light up with hollow, punchy waves, and it gets serious quickly as the size climbs. The reef at Panga Drops is a short walk up the beach when Colorados gets too heavy. Warm water and the country's consistent offshore winds make it an easy place to surf a lot.

Colorados surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today4

Good

1.3mSW@15s

8km/h

1.3m@15s

8km/h

Thu5

Firing

1.3mSW@15s

7km/h

1.3m@15s

7km/h

Fri6

Good

1.2mSW@13s

7km/h

1.2m@13s

7km/h

Sat7

Good

1.1mSW@14s

9km/h

1.1m@14s

9km/h

Sun8

Fair

1.4mWSW@13s

10km/h

1.4m@13s

10km/h

Mon9

Poor

0.9mWSW@13s

18km/h

0.9m@13s

18km/h

Tue10

Fair

0.7mS@15s

24km/h

0.7m@15s

24km/h

Wed11

Fair

0.7mS@15s

22km/h

0.7m@15s

22km/h

Thu12

Fair

0.7mSSW@15s

19km/h

0.7m@15s

19km/h

Fri13

Poor

0.6mSW@15s

14km/h

0.6m@15s

14km/h

Groomed 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 3 km/h · PM 12 km/h

Swell

1.3m

SW(222°)

Score: 17/25

Period

15s

Groundswell

Score: 23/25

Wind

8km/h

S(187°)

Score: 14/25

Weather

27°C

0.7mm97%

First light 5:06amSunrise 5:36amSunset 5:18pmLast light 5:48pm

Windswell

—

Secondary

0.5m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.3m @15s SW in window

Wind8 km/h S onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:06am–2:54pm · through highIdeal tide: 0.5–2.0m

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

25°

27°

26°

25°

26°

29°

28°

26°

25°

26°

25°

24°

25°

28°

25°

24°

27°

30°

27°

25°

28°

30°

29°

28°

26°

28°

31°

29°

27°

26°

28°

30°

29°

28°

26°

28°

31°

29°

27°

26°

28°

31°

30°

28°

2m1.0

sec

15s

13s

14s

13s

15s

swell

windkm/h

2g3

5g17

15g31

13g30

11g20

2g4

6g15

10g27

12g30

8g16

2g6

4g17

7g23

9g22

9g23

11g23

13g29

9g34

5g30

10g22

10g27

15g33

13g34

7g30

7g20

17g34

22g49

20g51

17g47

14g45

21g48

25g57

27g65

23g65

19g60

20g43

24g53

27g62

22g63

16g59

15g33

19g42

22g51

19g53

15g50

13g30

15g39

17g47

13g45

9g38

tidem

3:48am0.4m

9:58am1.8m

4:11pm0.3m

4:55am0.3m

11:06am1.8m

5:12pm0.3m

5:55am0.2m

12:04pm1.8m

6:02pm0.3m

6:45am0.1m

12:55pm1.9m

6:53pm0.2m

1:06am2.2m

7:27am0.1m

1:37pm2.0m

7:37pm0.2m

1:47am2.2m

8:10am0.0m

2:17pm2.0m

8:18pm0.2m

2:27am2.2m

8:50am0.0m

2:57pm2.0m

8:56pm0.2m

3:06am2.2m

9:27am0.1m

3:35pm2.0m

9:35pm0.3m

3:42am2.2m

10:05am0.1m

4:11pm2.0m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

3:48 am

Low · 0.39m

9:58 am

High · 1.79m

4:11 pm

Low · 0.34m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Good

Components

Swell Direction23/25

Swell Size17/25

Swell Period23/25

Wind14/25

Raw Score77/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+5

💨 Gusty Wind-4

Adjusted Score78/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score78

🌊 Optimal tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to MGA, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

Search Flights on Skyscanner

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.3m @15s SW in window

Wind8 km/h S onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

See where's firing right nowToday's best waves worldwide, scored live

Free Strike Report

Know when Central America is about to fire

Get the best strike windows in Central America — and worldwide — in your inbox every Monday & Thursday. Live Strike Scores, the swell behind them, zero fluff.

¿Prefieres español? Recibe el Strike Report en español, gratis →

For real surf travel

Get the full Colorados trip window

Pro unlocks the 10-day forecast window, unlimited alerts, and custom spot tracking that help turn a good-looking surf report into a better travel decision.

See Pro Pricing Track Colorados free

10-day window

See the trip window before flights get expensive.

Unlimited alerts

Let the app watch your score threshold for you.

Custom spots

Track the breaks that actually matter to your travel plans.

Spot Details

CustomizeCustomize this spot

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SW (225°)
Direction range: 200° - 270°
Size range: 0.8m - 3m
Ideal size: 1.8m - 2.5m
Height multiplier: 0.90×
Ideal period: 16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: E (90°)
Offshore range: 45° - 135°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: all
Optimal range: 0.5m - 2m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

3/10

Access: Inside the private Hacienda Iguana golf and beach club; walk from the villas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of wave is Colorados?

Colorados is a beach break in Tola, Nicaragua, with peaks that run both left and right. It's on our list of the world's 100 best waves.

What swell works best at Colorados?

Colorados picks up swell from the SSW round to the W, and it's best when it's coming straight out of the SW. It starts working at around 0.8m and handles up to about 3m, with the sweet spot around 1.8 to 2.5m. Period matters too: aim for 16s or longer, as anything under 12s tends to be weak. These are the numbers our scoring uses, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

What wind is offshore at Colorados?

An E wind is dead offshore at Colorados, and anything from the NE round to the SE keeps it clean. The morning is typically the best window, roughly 5am to 10am. Light winds from other directions can still be fine; strong offshores can make it hard to get into waves.

What tide is best at Colorados?

Colorados has a preferred tide range, roughly 0.5m to 2m on the local chart.

When is the best time of year to surf Colorados?

The most reliable run of swell at Colorados comes Apr to Oct. Best in SW swell season.

How cold is the water at Colorados?

The water at Colorados averages around 28°C, so boardshorts or a rashguard will do. It shifts a few degrees through the year, so check the season before you pack.

Is Colorados good for beginners?

It's more of an intermediate wave, rated 5/10 for difficulty, so newer surfers are best off sticking to the smaller days. The lineup is usually quiet (crowd 3/10). Gets heavy quickly as the swell builds.

How do I get to Colorados?

The nearest airport on our list is MGA. Inside the private Hacienda Iguana golf and beach club; walk from the villas.

What other surf spots are near Colorados?

The closest breaks we track are Panga Drops (1.8 km), Playa Amarillo (2.1 km) and Manzanillo (2.6 km), handy when Colorados isn't working.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Best in SW swell season.

Getting There

Airport

MGA

Drive time

0 min

Data quality

community

🤙 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.

Website Instagram