Pavones, Costa Rica

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Zancudo, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list.

Watch this spot We email you when Pavones is worth the trip.

About Pavones

Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (275°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (95°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Zancudo, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email it Remind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 15 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SJO, direct.
See flights ORD → SJO · Skyscanner from about £255 returnAd
Getting there. 6 h 45 from the airport to Pavones.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Zancudo, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Pavones · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Pavones · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Pavones on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Pavones does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pavones, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	45, fair	5 ft12 ssoft	699kJ	wind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore	29°C
Mon 19Oct	37, fair	5 ft11 ssoft	518kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots	27°C
Tue 20Oct	30, too small	5 ft11 ssoft	449kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	26, too small	4 ft10 ssoft	325kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot	27°C
Thu 22Oct	40, fair	5 ft12 ssoft	578kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot	27°C
Fri 23Oct	36, fair	5 ft12 ssoft	615kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore	27°C
Sat 24Oct	22, too small	4 ft12 scrumbling	361kJ	wind from the south, 3 knots	26°C
Sun 25Oct	14, too small	3 ft9 ssoft	126kJ	wind from the north-west, 3 knots	26°C
Mon 26Oct	15, too small	3 ft8 ssoft	119kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	26°C
Tue 27Oct	16, too small	3 ft8 ssoft	117kJ	wind from the north, 0 knots	25°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 6h 45 by road. About 15h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Pavones
Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Pavones
Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 6h 45 by road. About 15h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £590–£1,135 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag	£255–£530
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£70–£120
Food	7 days eating out	£160–£300
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£70–£120
Total		£590–£1,135

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.