CRNW Forecast and Report of Thu, 2022-0127 am

Just meandering and looking for the transition from NW to SW swells and how the El Niño may be affecting things. The chart below shows some increased southerly influence but it is mostly of the small end.

The Bottom Line

• Swell Trend:  SSW swell fades into the back half of the week, as NW swell moves into exposures 
• Watch Out For: High tides mid mornings slow the smaller surf
• Other Tidbits: Some more potential in the SPAC, NPAC slowing down

Thursday, January 27th: 2-3′ waves off  easing SSW swell, new NW swell shows at winter breaks.
Fading SSW swell and shorter-period  S swell mix, for thigh-waist high surf at good exposures, as top breaks see some better sets early. New NW swell starts to move into best wintertime spots, with similar size waves. Mind the mid AM high tide, which bogs down the surf at most areas. 

Friday, January 28th: 2-3′ surf from SSW swell mix, more NW swell for top exposures.
For most spots it’s a continue mix of modest scale SSW swell with thigh-waist high waves. Standout winter breaks see some better sets from a peaking NW swell. Best combo breaks pull in some peaks. Mid AM high tide slows most spots. 

Winds

Costa Rica: Morning offshore winds out of the NE for North CR, with a light+ to periodically more sea breeze in the afternoons for most spots, strongest on Friday. Northernmost spots stay offshore all day. Central and southern CR will see a diurnal wind pattern with light/variable to very light offshore flow in the early mornings trending to light+ onshores in the afternoons. [Rod Note: This is def atypical for this time of year when the offshores should be dominant all day.]

Long Term Forecast Analysis (Saturday, January 29th and Beyond)

SPAC Overview:

Old SSW swell winds down going into the weekend, as a reinforcing SSW pulse moves in, for mainly thigh to waist high surf Saturday. Sunday holds, with the SSW pulse easing and some new, long-period SW swell slowly creeping up. The modest scale swell peaks/holds for the first part of next week, 31st-2nd, with waist-stomach high surf at many exposed spots and shoulder high+ waves at standouts. Those waves taper off by the second half of the upcoming week, then  a new, similar size SW swell is scheduled to roll in by the following weekend, 5th-6th, with locally fun zone surf.

Further out, there is potential for another modest scale SSW swell in the 10th-12th time frame. So nothing much, but still some waves.  We’ll keep you posted on the progress of those storm/swell systems as they develop.

NPAC Overview:

The North Pacific has had storms tracking through lower latitudes and reaching the swell window for best exposed areas of Central America. An older NW swells will be easing going into the weekend, while a bit steeper-angled/more selective NW swell joins in. That mix is good for waist high+ waves at the better winter breaks on Saturday, as standouts hit shoulder high. Surf tapers off on Sunday, then the trend towards smaller size continues into next week.

The NPAC storm track has shifted back to higher latitudes lately, with not much swell being aimed at Central America. At this point, only small scale NW pulses, mainly staying under waist high, are scheduled through the first third of next month. We’ll let you know of any changes in that outlook.