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 Thu 07:56 (CST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Thu 07:56 (CST)

Manuel Antonio looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Thu 10:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Fair · 5.4/10

Thu 09:00 (CST)

Later today

Fair · 4.9/10

Thu 10:00 (CST)

Next three days

Fair · 4.9/10

Thu 10:00 (CST)

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

Score: 4.9/10

Best time: Thu 10:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Thu 10:00 (Fair).

Best afternoon signal: Thu 13:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 2.2 m/s.

Email me when it is good

Sunrise

05:25

Sunset

17:31

Water

30.5°C

Max air

30.1°C

Sky

Partly cloudy

34% 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

Thursday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Friday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Saturday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Thu 10:00: Fair (0.49) · still limited by waves, sea temperature
Thu 13:00: Fair (0.48) · still limited by waves, sea temperature
Thu 14:00: Fair (0.47) · still limited by waves, sea temperature

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (69 hours)
Tide/current (52 hours)
Darkness (36 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 28/100

Low peak drift risk around Thu 12:00.

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: Fri 01:00

Thu 13:00, Fri 01:00, Fri 13:00, Sat 02:00, Sat 14:00, Sun 02:00

Nearby alternatives in Costa Rica

Caño Island

81 km away

⚠️ Fair

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Thu 09:00 – Sun 09:00 (CST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.39 around Fri 08:00; 8 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 1.04m to 1.16m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 0.11 to 1.99m/s).

Tides range from -0.44m to 1.66m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Thu 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 10:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 06:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

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

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
Thu 09:00	1.04 · high	0.74 · good	30.40 · good	Fair
Thu 10:00	1.04 · high	1.32 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Thu 11:00	1.04 · high	0.73 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Thu 12:00	1.04 · high	1.37 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Thu 13:00	1.04 · high	1.99 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Thu 14:00	1.06 · high	0.38 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Thu 15:00	1.06 · high	0.87 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Thu 16:00	1.06 · high	0.43 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Thu 17:00	1.06 · high	1.55 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Thu 18:00	1.06 · high	1.48 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Thu 19:00	1.08 · high	1.26 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Thu 20:00	1.08 · high	0.94 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Thu 21:00	1.10 · high	0.81 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Thu 22:00	1.10 · high	0.74 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Thu 23:00	1.10 · high	1.01 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Fri 00:00	1.10 · high	0.56 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Fri 01:00	1.10 · high	0.61 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Fri 02:00	1.12 · high	0.89 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Fri 03:00	1.12 · high	1.76 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Fri 04:00	1.12 · high	1.03 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Fri 05:00	1.14 · high	1.32 · good	29.80 · good	Poor
Fri 06:00	1.14 · high	0.11 · good	29.80 · good	Fair
Fri 07:00	1.14 · high	0.76 · good	29.90 · good	Fair
Fri 08:00	1.16 · high	0.47 · good	30.10 · good	Fair
Fri 09:00	1.16 · high	1.01 · good	30.30 · good	Fair
Fri 10:00	1.16 · high	0.55 · good	30.50 · out of range	Fair
Fri 11:00	1.16 · high	0.47 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Fri 12:00	1.16 · high	0.72 · good	30.80 · out of range	Fair
Fri 13:00	1.16 · high	2.26 · good	30.90 · out of range	Fair
Fri 14:00	1.18 · high	0.80 · good	30.90 · out of range	Fair
Fri 15:00	1.18 · high	1.33 · good	30.90 · out of range	Poor
Fri 16:00	1.18 · high	0.95 · good	30.90 · out of range	Poor
Fri 17:00	1.20 · high	2.46 · good	30.90 · out of range	Fair
Fri 18:00	1.20 · high	0.78 · good	30.90 · out of range	Poor
Fri 19:00	1.22 · high	1.93 · good	30.80 · out of range	Poor
Fri 20:00	1.22 · high	0.21 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Fri 21:00	1.24 · high	0.60 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Fri 22:00	1.24 · high	0.93 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Fri 23:00	1.26 · high	0.53 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Sat 00:00	1.26 · high	0.57 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Sat 01:00	1.26 · high	0.87 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Sat 02:00	1.28 · high	0.52 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Sat 03:00	1.28 · high	0.63 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sat 04:00	1.28 · high	0.38 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sat 05:00	1.30 · high	0.22 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Sat 06:00	1.30 · high	0.25 · good	30.00 · good	Fair
Sat 07:00	1.30 · high	1.03 · good	30.00 · good	Fair
Sat 08:00	1.32 · high	2.10 · good	30.10 · good	Fair
Sat 09:00	1.32 · high	1.30 · good	30.30 · good	Fair
Sat 10:00	1.32 · high	0.34 · good	30.40 · good	Fair
Sat 11:00	1.32 · high	0.71 · good	30.50 · out of range	Fair
Sat 12:00	1.32 · high	1.64 · good	30.60 · out of range	Fair
Sat 13:00	1.32 · high	2.36 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 14:00	1.34 · high	1.66 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 15:00	1.34 · high	1.03 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 16:00	1.34 · high	1.12 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 17:00	1.36 · high	1.01 · good	30.70 · out of range	Fair
Sat 18:00	1.36 · high	0.47 · good	30.70 · out of range	Poor
Sat 19:00	1.36 · high	0.61 · good	30.60 · out of range	Poor
Sat 20:00	1.36 · high	0.53 · good	30.50 · out of range	Poor
Sat 21:00	1.36 · high	0.50 · good	30.40 · good	Poor
Sat 22:00	1.36 · high	0.18 · good	30.30 · good	Poor
Sat 23:00	1.36 · high	0.21 · good	30.20 · good	Poor
Sun 00:00	1.36 · high	0.18 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sun 01:00	1.36 · high	0.18 · good	30.10 · good	Poor
Sun 02:00	1.36 · high	0.74 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Sun 03:00	1.36 · high	1.10 · good	30.00 · good	Poor
Sun 04:00	1.36 · high	0.50 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Sun 05:00	1.36 · high	0.21 · good	29.90 · good	Poor
Sun 06:00	1.36 · high	0.92 · good	29.90 · good	Fair
Sun 07:00	1.36 · high	1.77 · good	29.90 · good	Fair
Sun 08:00	1.34 · high	0.65 · good	30.10 · good	Fair