Reef
left
Level 8/10

Shacks

León, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef⚠️Shallow

Shacks is Northern Nicaragua's most challenging wave—a very fast, well-shaped left that breaks over sharp reef and can get extremely hollow when conditions align. The wave doesn't work well at low tide, where it sections out and gets dangerously shallow, but mid-to-high tide transforms it into a world-class barrel. This is the most difficult wave in the Miramar area when it's pumping, but also the most rewarding—surfers who can handle the speed and power will find some of the best tubes in Central America. Not for the faint of heart.

10-Day Forecast
Today
21
63
Fair
1.1m
@13s
11km/h
Mon
22
73
Good
1.1m
@14s
16km/h
Tue
23
81
Firing
1.2m
@15s
23km/h
Wed
24
74
Good
1.3m
@15s
24km/h
Thu
25
70
Good
1.2m
@14s
19km/h
Fri
26
40
Poor
1.1m
@15s
17km/h
Sat
27
40
Poor
1.1m
@15s
18km/h
Sun
28
68
Good
1.0m
@14s
21km/h
Mon
29
40
Poor
0.9m
@14s
18km/h
Tue
30
35
Poor
0.7m
@13s
21km/h

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.1m
SW(224°)
Score: 8/25
Period
13s
Medium period swell
Score: 8/25
Wind
11km/h
ENE(73°)
Score: 25/25
Weather
29°C
0.9mm60%
Windswell Component
0.1mE@1s
Secondary Swell
0.1mSE
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 10 km/h ENE|PM: 11 km/h E
Similar wind — morning has better tide for this spot
High tide at 7am (1.5m)

Location & Conditions

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0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
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Showing forecast for today

Tide Times

12:44 am
Low tide - -0.55m
7:10 am
High tide - 1.53m
1:17 pm
Low tide - -0.29m
7:21 pm
High tide - 1.37m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

63
Fair
Components
Swell Direction19/25
Swell Size8/25
Swell Period8/25
Wind25/25
Raw Score60/100
Adjustments
Wind History+6
🌊 Tide+3
📉 Undersized Swell-6
Adjusted Score63/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score63
✨ Groomed🌊 Mostly in the tide window
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Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SW (215°)
Direction range
190° - 255°
Size range
1m - 3m
Ideal size
2.5m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
E (80°)
Offshore range
40° - 120°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid to high
Optimal range
0.8m - 2m
Danger below
0.5m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

2/10

Access: In front of Puerto Sandino Surf Resort.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Secondary: Mar, Nov

Best mid-to-high tide. Sections out at low. SW swell season.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
100 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

Community Discussion