Beach
both
Level 4/10

Playa Amarillo

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef

Playa Amarillo is Nicaragua's empty wave—an untouched beachbreak that delivers fun sand-bottom peaks to surfers willing to venture off the beaten path. The beach offers multiple takeoff zones, with a shallow reef section at the south end providing an alternative when you want something different. While the more famous spots in the region collect crowds, Amarillo remains blissfully overlooked. Minimal development means you'll likely share waves only with the occasional local or fellow explorer who discovered this quiet stretch of coast.

10-Day Forecast
Today
21
84
Firing
1.3m
@15s
20km/h
Mon
22
79
Good
1.2m
@14s
19km/h
Tue
23
70
Good
1.2m
@16s
26km/h
Wed
24
69
Good
1.2m
@17s
26km/h
Thu
25
72
Good
1.1m
@16s
23km/h
Fri
26
74
Good
1.1m
@16s
21km/h
Sat
27
71
Good
1.1m
@17s
21km/h
Sun
28
75
Good
1.1m
@15s
24km/h
Mon
29
77
Good
0.8m
@15s
23km/h
Tue
30
74
Good
0.8m
@15s
24km/h

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.3m
SW(222°)
Score: 14/25
Period
15s
Long period groundswell
Score: 25/25
Wind
20km/h
ENE(68°)
Score: 22/25
Weather
29°C
0.2mm78%
Windswell Component
0.4mENE@2s
Secondary Swell
0.1mE
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 18 km/h NE|PM: 20 km/h ENE
Lighter winds early (18 km/h)
Tide at 7am (1.5m)

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 - -0.58m
7:09 am
High tide - 1.54m
1:19 pm
Low tide - -0.32m
7:24 pm
High tide - 1.36m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

84
Firing
Components
Swell Direction12/25
Swell Size14/25
Swell Period25/25
Wind22/25
Raw Score73/100
Adjustments
Wind History+6
🌊 Tide+5
Adjusted Score84/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score84
✨ Groomed🌊 Optimal tide window
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Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (200°)
Direction range
175° - 240°
Size range
0.6m - 2.5m
Ideal size
1.9m
Height multiplier
0.92×
Ideal period
14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (50°)
Offshore range
10° - 90°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid
Optimal range
0.3m - 1.6m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

4/10

Crowd level

1/10

Access: Near Playa Gigante. Walk from Hacienda Iguana.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Secondary: Mar, Nov

Uncrowded beach break. Shallow reef at south end.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
135 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.

Strike Log

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