What is the best time of day to snorkel in Manuel Antonio?

Snorkel in daylight, if possible in the morning before the wind picks up. Currents are often weaker near high slack tide. SnorkelForecast scores each daylight hour for Manuel Antonio.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide, within about an hour of the high-tide peak, often has weaker currents. Strong low tides and tidal flow near channels or headlands reduce the score.

Manuel Antonio Snorkel Report Today

Costa Rica · Updated Wed 02:24 (CST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Wed 02:24 (CST)

Manuel Antonio looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Wed 08:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Wed 02:00 (CST)

Later today

Fair · 5.4/10

Wed 08:00 (CST)

Next three days

Fair · 5.4/10

Wed 08:00 (CST)

Model estimates using Open-Meteo; not observations or safety guarantees. Check official advisories and conditions at the beach.

Score: 5.4/10

Best time: Wed 08:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Wed 08:00 (Fair).

Best afternoon signal: Wed 12:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 2.5 m/s.

Email me when it is good

Sunrise

05:25

Sunset

17:31

Water

30.2°C

Max air

30.6°C

Sky

Clear

16% cloud

No good model window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Thursday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Friday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Wed 08:00: Fair (0.54) · still limited by waves, tide/current
Wed 07:00: Fair (0.54) · still limited by waves, tide/current
Wed 09:00: Fair (0.54) · still limited by waves, sea temperature

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (71 hours)
Tide/current (43 hours)
Darkness (35 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 29/100

Low peak drift risk around Wed 22:00.

warm water supports seasonal jellyfish activity; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Next early morning high tide: Thu 00:00

Wed 12:00, Thu 00:00, Thu 13:00, Fri 01:00, Fri 13:00

Nearby alternatives in Costa Rica

Caño Island

81 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Sat 02:00 – Tue 02:00 (CST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.5 around Sat 11:00; 12 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.06m to 1.1m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 0.2 to 1.07m/s).

Tides range from -0.68m to 2.08m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Sat 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 06:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 06:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 06:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
Daylight (10%): visibility is better in daylight, so night hours score lower.

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Sat 02:00	1.10 · high	0.70 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Sat 03:00	1.10 · high	1.00 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Sat 04:00	1.08 · high	0.28 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Sat 05:00	1.08 · high	0.46 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sat 06:00	1.06 · high	0.45 · good	30.10 · good	Fair
Sat 07:00	1.06 · high	0.80 · good	30.20 · good	Fair
Sat 08:00	1.06 · high	0.93 · good	30.30 · good	Fair
Sat 09:00	1.06 · high	0.71 · good	30.40 · good	Fair
Sat 10:00	1.06 · high	0.72 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Sat 11:00	1.08 · high	0.20 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 12:00	1.08 · high	0.80 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Sat 13:00	1.08 · high	0.40 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Sat 14:00	1.06 · high	1.07 · good	30.90 · out of range	Fair
Sat 15:00	1.06 · high	0.32 · good	30.90 · out of range	Fair
Sat 16:00	1.06 · high	0.51 · good	31.00 · out of range	Fair
Sat 17:00	1.06 · high	0.21 · good	31.00 · out of range	Fair
Sat 18:00	1.06 · high	0.71 · good	30.90 · out of range	Poor
Sat 19:00	1.06 · high	1.06 · good	30.90 · out of range	Poor
Sat 20:00	1.06 · high	0.49 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Sat 21:00	1.06 · high	0.47 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Sat 22:00	1.06 · high	0.41 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Sat 23:00	1.06 · high	0.60 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Sun 00:00	1.06 · high	0.46 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Sun 01:00	1.06 · high	0.46 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Sun 02:00	1.06 · high	0.36 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Sun 03:00	1.06 · high	1.42 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sun 04:00	1.06 · high	0.72 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sun 05:00	1.04 · high	0.30 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sun 06:00	1.04 · high	0.60 · good	29.60 · good	Fair
Sun 07:00	1.04 · high	0.50 · good	29.70 · good	Fair
Sun 08:00	1.04 · high	0.47 · good	29.90 · good	Fair
Sun 09:00	1.04 · high	0.78 · good	30.10 · good	Fair
Sun 10:00	1.04 · high	0.93 · good	30.30 · good	Fair
Sun 11:00	1.04 · high	0.86 · good	30.40 · good	Fair
Sun 12:00	1.04 · high	1.01 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Sun 13:00	1.04 · high	1.25 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sun 14:00	1.02 · high	1.27 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sun 15:00	1.02 · high	1.06 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Sun 16:00	1.02 · high	0.55 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Sun 17:00	1.02 · high	0.38 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Sun 18:00	1.02 · high	0.50 · good	30.80 · out of range	Poor
Sun 19:00	1.02 · high	0.64 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Sun 20:00	1.02 · high	0.53 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Sun 21:00	1.02 · high	0.11 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Sun 22:00	1.02 · high	0.36 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Sun 23:00	1.02 · high	0.07 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Mon 00:00	1.02 · high	0.46 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Mon 01:00	1.02 · high	0.25 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Mon 02:00	1.02 · high	0.38 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Mon 03:00	1.02 · high	0.86 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Mon 04:00	1.02 · high	1.12 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Mon 05:00	0.96 · high	0.93 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Mon 06:00	0.96 · high	1.34 · good	30.00 · good	Fair
Mon 07:00	0.96 · high	0.81 · good	30.00 · good	Fair
Mon 08:00	0.96 · high	0.30 · good	30.20 · good	Fair
Mon 09:00	0.96 · high	0.42 · good	30.30 · good	Fair
Mon 10:00	0.96 · high	0.63 · good	30.50 · out of range	Fair
Mon 11:00	0.98 · high	0.60 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Mon 12:00	0.98 · high	0.76 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 13:00	0.98 · high	1.46 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 14:00	0.98 · high	0.22 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 15:00	0.98 · high	0.35 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 16:00	1.00 · high	0.56 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 17:00	1.00 · high	0.91 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Mon 18:00	1.02 · high	0.76 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Mon 19:00	1.02 · high	0.93 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Mon 20:00	1.04 · high	0.49 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Mon 21:00	1.04 · high	0.11 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Mon 22:00	1.04 · high	0.58 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Mon 23:00	1.06 · high	0.43 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Tue 00:00	1.06 · high	0.54 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Tue 01:00	1.08 · high	0.35 · good	30.10 · good	Poor