Beach
both
Level 4/10

Playa Amarillo

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef

Playa Amarillo is Nicaragua's empty wave—an untouched beachbreak that delivers fun sand-bottom peaks to surfers willing to venture off the beaten path. The beach offers multiple takeoff zones, with a shallow reef section at the south end providing an alternative when you want something different. While the more famous spots in the region collect crowds, Amarillo remains blissfully overlooked. Minimal development means you'll likely share waves only with the occasional local or fellow explorer who discovered this quiet stretch of coast.

3-Day Forecast
Today
16
76
Good
1.2m
@17s
20km/h
Tue
17
86
Firing
1.1m
@17s
14km/h
Wed
18
87
Firing
0.9m
@16s
16km/h
+7
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Today's Conditions

Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.2m
SSW(210°)
Score: 13/25
Period
17s
Long period groundswell
Score: 25/25
Wind
20km/h
ENE(76°)
Score: 16/25
Weather
28°C
0.0mm8%
Windswell Component
0.4mENE@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 - -0.51m
12:40 pm
High tide - 0.91m
6:45 pm
Low tide - -0.41m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

76
Good
Components
Swell Direction18/25
Swell Size13/25
Swell Period25/25
Wind16/25
Raw Score72/100
Adjustments
Wind History+4
Adjusted Score76/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score76
✨ Groomed

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (200°)
Direction range
175° - 240°
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

1/10

Access: Near Playa Gigante. Walk from Hacienda Iguana.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

Secondary: Mar, Nov

Uncrowded beach break. Shallow reef at south end.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
135 min
Data quality
community

🤙 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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