Reef
both
Level 8/10

Salsa Brava

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
🪸Sharp reef⚠️Shallow🌀Strong rips

Salsa Brava translates to "angry sauce," and this Caribbean reef break lives up to its name—the heaviest wave in Costa Rica. When N-NE groundswells hit the east coast during winter, Salsa Brava produces thick, powerful left-hand barrels over sharp coral reef. The setting is tropical and beautiful, but the consequences of mistakes are real. The local Afro-Caribbean vibe of Puerto Viejo adds to the experience. This is Caribbean surfing at its most intense.

3-Day Forecast
Today
16
46
Fair
1.6m
@10s
6km/h
Tue
17
45
Fair
1.5m
@10s
6km/h
Wed
18
46
Fair
1.7m
@11s
8km/h
+7
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Today's Conditions

Swell
1.6m
ENE(60°)
Score: 8/25
Period
10s
Medium period swell
Score: 6/25
Wind
6km/h
ENE(73°)
Score: 18/25
Weather
28°C
0.0mm56%
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning

Location & Conditions

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

Tide Times

1:30 am
Low tide - 0.10m
9:30 am
High tide - 0.24m
4:30 pm
Low tide - 0.07m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

46
Fair
Components
Swell Direction21/25
Swell Size8/25
Swell Period6/25
Wind18/25
Raw Score53/100
Adjustments
📉 Undersized Swell-7
Adjusted Score46/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score46

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (55°)
Direction range
20° - 100°
Size range
1.5m - 4m
Ideal size
3.4m
Height multiplier
1.00×
Ideal period
14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
S (180°)
Offshore range
150° - 225°
Best window
morning

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid to high
Optimal range
0.5m - 1.5m
Danger below
0.3m

Water temp

27°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

5/10

Best Season

Peak: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

Secondary: Nov, Apr

Caribbean swell season Dec-Mar. N-NE groundswells.

Getting There

Airport
SJO
Drive time
240 min
Data quality
community

Strike Log

Community Discussion