Caribbean · Wednesday, Sep 23

Salsa Brava

Updated Tue, Sep 22, 6:30 PM CST

When to go

10:00 AM–12:00 PM

Looks good · Low confidence

1.4–1.4 ft · Offshore waves · not face height

Wind: 2.9 kt · direction unavailable

Forecast details

Light wind should keep the water smoother.

Other wind windows

Plan around the wind

The best available upcoming daylight wind sample to compare with the wave evidence. This compares wind only; wave size, tide suitability, and hazards can change your choice.

9:00 AM–11:00 AM · America/Costa_Rica
Light wind · up to 2.2 kt · reported gusts up to 9.5 kt
Offshore waves: 1.4–1.4 ft across the period. Surf height unavailable. Tide data available; check the local tide response.
Wind source time: Sep 22, 5:45 PM CST. This is not the model run issue time.

How these periods are chosen

The planner prefers three consecutive hourly samples covering two daylight hours, but retains shorter one- or two-sample evidence when that is all the forecast provides. Light wind means at most 6 kt. Moderate offshore means at most 12 kt from land toward the sea when shore orientation is verified. Strong wind or known gusts of 20 kt or more remain visible as cautions instead of making the entire comparison disappear. These are comparison labels, not locally tested surf-quality or safety ratings. Missing gusts remain unknown. Terrain shelter, currents, closures, and your ability are not assessed.

Forecast confidence

Returned marine grid point is 15.3 km from the mapped spot. Provider grid resolution is not established for this response.
Reference model hour: 13 hours from now; historical residuals do not measure forecast lead-time error.
No accepted local model for these inputs: missing history, unsupported direction/period/height, or failed historical validation.
A mapped coordinate does not establish nearshore grid resolution or terrain/shelter accuracy.

Wind SSE 3.4 kt

Tide 0.5 ft rising

Wave, wind and tide details

Offshore model swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5sValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/Costa_RicaMarine grid 9.7917, -82.7083 · offshore model, not a local measurement

Offshore model sea1.4 ft @ 6.1sSignificant wave height including wind waves and swell; not breaking surfValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/Costa_Rica

Model windSSE 3.4 ktoffshoreValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/Costa_Rica3.1 kt offshore component

Tide0.5 ftrisingMIO-CIMAR Limón station 43 · 47.1 km from Salsa Brava · predicted height relative to MIO mean-low-tide referenceRetrieved Sep 22, 6:33 PM CST · provider issue time unavailable1% of adjacent local low–high range · descriptive, not a safety rating

MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model

Modeled regional significant wave height 0.52 m; modeled maximum 0.69 m; period 6.4 s; direction from 49°.

2026-09-23T06:00:00.000Z (America/Costa_Rica: 2026-09-23 00:00)Official MIO-CIMAR regional modeled ocean-wave conditions for Caribe; API heights are metres, the API direction is a propagation-toward vector converted here to a from-bearing, and these values are neither a station observation nor breaking surf. The provider exposes no issue timestamp; 2026-09-23T00:33:00.620Z is the response retrieval time.Measured maximum wave: 2.3 ftRetrieved Sep 22, 6:33 PM CST

MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model

Modeled regional significant wave height 0.48 m; modeled maximum 0.64 m; period 6.4 s; direction from 49°. Oleaje bajo. Excelentes condiciones para el ingreso de bañistas.

2026-09-23T12:00:00.000Z (America/Costa_Rica: 2026-09-23 06:00)Official MIO-CIMAR regional modeled ocean-wave conditions for Caribe; API heights are metres, the API direction is a propagation-toward vector converted here to a from-bearing, and these values are neither a station observation nor breaking surf. The provider exposes no issue timestamp; 2026-09-23T00:33:00.620Z is the response retrieval time.Measured maximum wave: 2.1 ftRetrieved Sep 22, 6:33 PM CST

MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model

Modeled regional significant wave height 0.46 m; modeled maximum 0.61 m; period 6.4 s; direction from 49°. Oleaje bajo. Excelentes condiciones para el ingreso de bañistas.

2026-09-23T18:00:00.000Z (America/Costa_Rica: 2026-09-23 12:00)Official MIO-CIMAR regional modeled ocean-wave conditions for Caribe; API heights are metres, the API direction is a propagation-toward vector converted here to a from-bearing, and these values are neither a station observation nor breaking surf. The provider exposes no issue timestamp; 2026-09-23T00:33:00.620Z is the response retrieval time.Measured maximum wave: 2.0 ftRetrieved Sep 22, 6:33 PM CST

MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model

Modeled regional significant wave height 0.45 m; modeled maximum 0.60 m; period 6.5 s; direction from 49°.

2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z (America/Costa_Rica: 2026-09-23 18:00)Official MIO-CIMAR regional modeled ocean-wave conditions for Caribe; API heights are metres, the API direction is a propagation-toward vector converted here to a from-bearing, and these values are neither a station observation nor breaking surf. The provider exposes no issue timestamp; 2026-09-23T00:33:00.620Z is the response retrieval time.Measured maximum wave: 2.0 ftRetrieved Sep 22, 6:33 PM CST

Surf height unavailable. Coastal and offshore waves are not breaking-wave heights.

Surf and wind

Recommended window: No recommended window

Breaking surf is not reliably resolved. Hourly offshore swell and wind inputs are listed below.

Hourly forecast

Hourly surf forecast for Salsa Brava
Time	Wind	Tide	Offshore swell
12 AM	SW 2.3 ktcross-shore	0 ftrising	ENE 1.6 ft @ 5s
1 AM	SW 2 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftrising	ENE 1.6 ft @ 5s
2 AM	SW 1.2 ktoffshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
3 AM	SW 1.2 ktoffshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
4 AM	SW 1 ktoffshore	0.5 ftfalling	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
5 AM	SW 0.9 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftfalling	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
6 AM	SW 1.5 ktoffshore	0.5 ftfalling	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
7 AM	S 1.9 ktoffshore	0.5 ftfalling	NE 1.5 ft @ 5s
8 AM	SSE 3.4 ktoffshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
9 AM	S 2.2 ktoffshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
10 AM	S 0.9 ktoffshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
11 AM	WNW 0.9 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
Noon	NNE 2.9 ktonshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
1 PM	NNE 3.3 ktonshore	0.5 ftrising	NE 1.4 ft @ 5s
2 PM	NNE 3.2 ktonshore	1 ftrising	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
3 PM	N 2.8 ktonshore	1 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
4 PM	NW 2.1 ktonshore	1 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
5 PM	W 1.1 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
6 PM	SW 1.1 ktoffshore	0.5 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
7 PM	SW 1.3 ktoffshore	0.5 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
8 PM	SW 3.6 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
9 PM	SW 3.2 ktcross-shore	0.5 ftfalling	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
10 PM	SW 2.9 ktcross-shore	0 ftnear low	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s
11 PM	SW 2.6 ktoffshore	0 ftrising	ENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

12 AMUnavailable

WindSW 2.3 ktcross-shoreTide0 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 1.6 ft @ 5s

1 AMUnavailable

WindSW 2 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 1.6 ft @ 5s

2 AMUnavailable

WindSW 1.2 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

3 AMUnavailable

WindSW 1.2 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

4 AMUnavailable

WindSW 1 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

5 AMUnavailable

WindSW 0.9 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

6 AMUnavailable

WindSW 1.5 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

7 AMUnavailable

WindS 1.9 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellNE 1.5 ft @ 5s

8 AMUnavailable

WindSSE 3.4 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

9 AMUnavailable

WindS 2.2 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

10 AMUnavailable

WindS 0.9 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

11 AMUnavailable

WindWNW 0.9 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

NoonUnavailable

WindNNE 2.9 ktonshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

1 PMUnavailable

WindNNE 3.3 ktonshoreTide0.5 ftrisingOffshore swellNE 1.4 ft @ 5s

2 PMUnavailable

WindNNE 3.2 ktonshoreTide1 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

3 PMUnavailable

WindN 2.8 ktonshoreTide1 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

4 PMUnavailable

WindNW 2.1 ktonshoreTide1 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

5 PMUnavailable

WindW 1.1 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

6 PMUnavailable

WindSW 1.1 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

7 PMUnavailable

WindSW 1.3 ktoffshoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

8 PMUnavailable

WindSW 3.6 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

9 PMUnavailable

WindSW 3.2 ktcross-shoreTide0.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

10 PMUnavailable

WindSW 2.9 ktcross-shoreTide0 ftnear lowOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

11 PMUnavailable

WindSW 2.6 ktoffshoreTide0 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 1.4 ft @ 5s

Tide

MIO-CIMAR Limón station 43 · 47.1 km from Salsa Brava · MIO mean-low-tide reference

Interpolated tide height Recommended window

About this spot

Model-grid forecast requested at the mapped coordinate; reef, headland, and nearshore transformations are unresolved. Reef break. Published named-break coordinate and reviewed approximate north-facing reef exposure. Limón station 43 is 47.1 km away and the model marine cell is 15.3 km away; both distances are disclosed.

Mapped spot coordinate: 9.66, -82.75.

Mainland Costa Rica · South Caribbean reef coast at Puerto Viejo · Ocean-facing bearing 0° · Location provenance

Model request point: Salsa Brava (9.66, -82.75). Model output times describe valid conditions; the provider does not expose the model run issue time in this response.

Forecast sources

Data coverage 4/7 sources

Source availability is not forecast accuracy. Where an empirical model passes historical testing, its error and interval coverage are shown above. Source count cannot increase that confidence.

Coverage tier D · MODEL_FIRST_AMERICAS · spot-level model point

MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model
MIO-CIMAR Caribe regional model; Official MIO-CIMAR regional modeled ocean-wave conditions for Caribe; API heights are metres, the API direction is a propagation-toward vector converted here to a from-bearing, and these values are neither a station observation nor breaking surf. The provider exposes no issue timestamp; 2026-09-23T00:33:00.620Z is the response retrieval time.CurrentSep 22, 6:33 PM CST
The Buoy API
No current same-exposure wave observation with verified identity, coordinates, units, and timestamp is connected; MIO-CIMAR forecasts are not relabeled as observations.UnavailableNo source time
MIO-CIMAR Costa Rica tide predictions
MIO-CIMAR Limón station 43 · 47.1 km from Salsa Brava; predicted high/low events above MIO mean-low-tide reference, converted to feet. Timestamp is retrieval time; provider issue time is not supplied.CurrentSep 22, 6:33 PM CST
WorldTides API
Official MIO-CIMAR station predictions are used; heights are referenced to the provider-described mean of low tides from at least a 20-year record.UnavailableNo source time
Open-Meteo Marine API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 22, 5:45 PM CST
Open-Meteo Weather API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 22, 5:45 PM CST
Copernicus Marine Global Ocean Waves
No independently authenticated Copernicus product, run, grid, and current response is connected; MIO-CIMAR and Open-Meteo remain separately labeled model evidence.UnavailableNo source time
Surf-Forecast public pages
Spot discovery and break-specific HTML fallbackNot applicableNo source time
Surfline public spot pages
Break-specific comparison, cams, and metadataNot applicableNo source time

How best guesses are made

Best guesses combine usable wave and wind evidence, with qualitative confidence and specific limitations. A missing tide or local surf-height model does not prevent useful guidance. Tide levels use the named station datum; their effect at this break remains uncertain. Wind direction is relative to the mapped beach orientation, without calibrated terrain or shelter effects. The comparison is a heuristic, not a measured quality rating.