Beach
both
Level 4/10

Playa Santana

Rivas, Nicaragua
🌀Strong rips

Playa Santana is Popoyo's quieter neighbor—a quality beach break that offers the same consistent southwest swells without the crowds that have discovered the famous point. The wave provides excellent intermediate-level surfing on sandbars that shift with the seasons but remain reliable throughout the swell season. While others jostle for position at Popoyo, savvy surfers slip over to Santana and find space to spread out. The uncrowded nature is part of the appeal, as is the genuine local community that hasn't yet been transformed by tourism. This is what Nicaragua surf travel felt like before the crowds arrived.

10-Day Forecast
Today
21
87
Firing
1.3m
@13s
20km/h
Mon
22
85
Firing
1.2m
@13s
19km/h
Tue
23
81
Firing
1.2m
@15s
26km/h
Wed
24
80
Firing
1.2m
@14s
27km/h
Thu
25
78
Good
1.1m
@14s
24km/h
Fri
26
81
Firing
1.1m
@14s
21km/h
Sat
27
81
Firing
1.1m
@14s
22km/h
Sun
28
84
Firing
1.1m
@14s
24km/h
Mon
29
82
Firing
0.8m
@13s
22km/h
Tue
30
76
Good
0.7m
@13s
24km/h

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.3m
SW(221°)
Score: 14/25
Period
13s
Medium period swell
Score: 23/25
Wind
20km/h
ENE(64°)
Score: 22/25
Weather
29°C
0.3mm74%
Windswell Component
0.4mENE@2s
Secondary Swell
0.1mESE
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

12:43 am
Low tide - -0.57m
7:09 am
High tide - 1.54m
1:17 pm
Low tide - -0.32m
7:24 pm
High tide - 1.36m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

87
Firing
Components
Swell Direction20/25
Swell Size14/25
Swell Period23/25
Wind22/25
Raw Score79/100
Adjustments
Wind History+6
🌊 Tide+5
Adjusted Score86.66666666666667/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score87
✨ Groomed🌊 Optimal tide window
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Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SW (215°)
Direction range
185° - 255°
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

3/10

Access: Near Popoyo. Uncrowded alternative.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Secondary: Nov, Mar

Consistent SW swells. Less crowded than Popoyo.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
115 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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