Reef
left
Level 9/10

Popoyo Outer Reef

Rivas, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef😮‍💨Hold-downs⚠️Shallow🦈Sharks

Popoyo Outer Reef is Central America's legitimate big wave spot—a heavy left reef break that only shows its true form on solid southwest swells and transforms into Nicaragua's most challenging wave. While the inner reefs entertain intermediate surfers, the outer reef lurks offshore waiting for the big pulse. When it arrives, the wave jacks up over shallow reef and delivers long, powerful left barrels with serious consequences. This is not for the casual traveler—it's for experienced big wave surfers seeking Central America's heaviest wave.

10-Day Forecast
Today
21
39
Poor
1.5m
@13s
20km/h
Mon
22
35
Poor
1.4m
@13s
20km/h
Tue
23
33
Poor
1.4m
@15s
27km/h
Wed
24
17
Poor
1.4m
@14s
27km/h
Thu
25
23
Poor
1.3m
@14s
25km/h
Fri
26
25
Poor
1.3m
@14s
22km/h
Sat
27
30
Poor
1.3m
@14s
22km/h
Sun
28
30
Poor
1.3m
@14s
24km/h
Mon
29
26
Poor
1.0m
@13s
22km/h
Tue
30
15
Poor
0.8m
@13s
24km/h

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.5m
SW(221°)
Score: 3/25
Period
13s
Medium period swell
Score: 4/25
Wind
20km/h
ENE(68°)
Score: 19/25
Weather
30°C
0.3mm66%
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 ENE|PM: 21 km/h ENE
Similar wind — morning has better tide for this spot
High 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

39
Poor
Components
Swell Direction17/25
Swell Size3/25
Swell Period4/25
Wind19/25
Raw Score43/100
Adjustments
Wind History+6
🌊 Tide+5
⚠️ Weak Component-5
📉 Undersized Swell-10
🚫 Undersized Capmax 44
Adjusted Score39/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score39
✨ Groomed🌊 Optimal tide window
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Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (210°)
Direction range
185° - 250°
Size range
2m - 5m
Ideal size
4.3m
Height multiplier
1.08×
Ideal period
18s+

Wind Requirements

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

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid to high
Optimal range
0.6m - 2m
Danger below
0.4m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

9/10

Crowd level

2/10

Access: Boat access only. Serious big wave spot.

Best Season

Peak: May-Sep

Needs significant swell. Peak season only. Expert conditions.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
120 min
Boat required
$50
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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