Reef
both
Level 6/10

Popoyo

Rivas, Nicaragua
🪸Sharp reef🦔Urchins

Popoyo is Nicaragua's flagship surf destination—a reef break that catches virtually every SW swell and offers multiple peaks to choose from. The setup is perfect for a surf trip: consistent waves, warm water, offshore morning winds, and a growing infrastructure of surf camps and restaurants. The reef produces both left and right options, with the outer reef getting heavier and hollower. This is where Central American surf trips often begin and end.

3-Day Forecast
Today
30
36
Poor
1.1m
@13s
34km/h
Tue
31
36
Poor
1.1m
@13s
31km/h
Wed
1
31
Poor
1.0m
@12s
29km/h
+7
Unlock

Today's Conditions

Groomed
Clean faces from offshore winds
Swell
1.1m
S(184°)
Score: 8/25
Period
13s
Medium period swell
Score: 8/25
Wind
34km/h
ENE(68°)
Score: 14/25
Weather
30°C
0.0mm54%
Windswell Component
0.7mE@3s
Secondary Swell
0.4mW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 31 km/h ENE|PM: 32 km/h ENE
Lighter winds early (31 km/h)
Tide at 6am (-0.6m)

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

6:10 am
Low tide - -0.61m
12:33 pm
High tide - 1.14m
6:44 pm
Low tide - -0.56m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

36
Poor
Components
Swell Direction11/25
Swell Size8/25
Swell Period8/25
Wind14/25
Raw Score41/100
Adjustments
Wind History+4
🌊💨 Windswell-3
📉 Undersized Swell-6
Adjusted Score36/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score36
✨ Groomed

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (210°)
Direction range
180° - 250°
Size range
1m - 3.5m
Ideal size
2.9m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (45°)
Offshore range
0° - 90°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid
Optimal range
0.5m - 1.8m

Water temp

28°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

5/10

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Oct

SW swell season. Offshore winds most mornings.

Getting There

Airport
MGA
Drive time
120 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