Rio Mar & the coast · Panama
Surfing Costa Esmeralda
A left & right reef in Rio Mar & the coast, Panama, for intermediate surfers.
Costa Esmeralda has reef peaks with both rights and lefts, on the Rio Mar coast about an hour from Panama City. The quality depends on how the sand sits on the reef: some days it's soft and mushy, other days it has decent shape.
Check it around high tide on a south-west swell. It's an easy, uncrowded option for intermediates, not a wave to travel for.
It's best at high tide on a south-west swell, from April to October. It's close to Panama City, so weekends are busier. Rio Mar, nearby, is a good alternative.
When to surf
Costa Esmeralda
Costa Esmeralda is at its best from April to October. Conditions it likes: S-SW swell, high tide.
April to June: Good
S-SW swell building; the narrow window means it's smaller than Santa Catalina
July to September: Prime
Peak S-SW season, best NZ lows send the optimum ~210° swell; onshore afternoons
October to November: Good
Onshore south winds increasingly dominate late in the season
December to March: Quiet
Dry season, offshore northerlies, but swells are unreliable and often flat
The year across West Panamá Province
Waves near Costa Esmeralda
Getting there
Where to stay: This coast is an easy 1-1.5h drive from Panama City down the Pan-American Highway, great bus and taxi links. Base at Rio Mar Surf Camp (on the point) or in Coronado/Gorgona for more choice. The road system is among Central America's best, so a rental car makes spot-hopping easy.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Rio Mar & the coast guide.
Rio Mar & the coast surf guideSurf it often and something here is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.