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.

3-Day Forecast
Today
16
61
Fair
1.3m
@16s
16km/h
Tue
17
65
Good
1.1m
@15s
12km/h
Wed
18
70
Good
0.9m
@14s
17km/h
+7
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Today's Conditions

Swell
1.3m
SSW(201°)
Score: 15/25
Period
16s
Long period groundswell
Score: 25/25
Wind
16km/h
E(93°)
Score: 5/25
Weather
29°C
0.0mm14%
Windswell Component
0.3mE@2s
Secondary Swell
0.9mSSW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
afternoon

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

6:20 am
Low tide - -0.50m
12:43 pm
High tide - 0.92m
6:44 pm
Low tide - -0.40m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

61
Fair
Components
Swell Direction16/25
Swell Size15/25
Swell Period25/25
Wind5/25
Raw Score61/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score61

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°
Best window
morning

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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