Surfing in Nicaragua in February

Conditions in February

Water temp. : 25 °C
Wetsuit : Shorty or 2 mm

February is the middle of the dry season. The swell picture is unchanged from January, small and from the north, and the lake wind is at its most insistent: the same offshore that holds a wave open all morning can also be enough to make the paddle out hard work on an exposed beach.

That is worth planning around rather than avoiding. The reefs on the Tola coast take offshore better than the open beaches do, and the coves around San Juan del Sur sit out of the worst of it. The water is at 25°C, the coolest reading of the Nicaraguan year, which in practice still means boardshorts.

Learning in February

Straightforward. Small waves, warm water, and enough wind that a morning session is better than an afternoon one.

Where a beginner goes in February

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Good

Off season. Come now for sun and empty beaches, not for the surf the country is known for.

How February compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.