So I'm stoked--I booked a surf charter that's gonna pick me up from my hotel in Guanacaste Sunday July 25th that's gonna take me to Ollie's/Witches. I'm sure there's gonna be some decent swell...but summer down there doesn't look the best for winds. I was wondering if anybody had ever surfed those spots with less than ideal winds. If it's SW at 5-10, which seems to be the prevailing wind this time of year...is it still good? Should I check it when it gets closer and reschedule for a morning with probable offshores? Any advice would be much appreciated.
I've made 3 trips to Costa and made the Roca Bruja/Ollies Point run each time. It only was surfable one time, but man...it was awesome. IMHO, I'd wait until you are there. You'll always find a boat. Your best bet is to track the days leading up to the boat ride over before deciding. The boat captains never told us it was no good. They just said there hasn't been anything for a few days, but they know. The important thing to remember is most of the breaks get blown out around noon, so the early bird gets the worm. Witches Rock was great, but Ollies was just plane incredible!!! Shoulder to head high and super hollow. You can see the rocks popping up down the line! The longest right I've ever ridden. I hope it lines up for you! Also, if Tamarindo isn't hitting, go to Playa Negra. It's very local, but I've seen it head-high there when everything else was knee. Crazy!
btw the boat is pickin me up from the hilton de papagayo at 7:00 am, and low tide is at 8, so we're heading to ollie's first for low tide, then switchin to witches for the higher tide. should be near perfect tides for the morning, i couldn't have asked for them to line up better.
Witches and Ollies blow offshore almost everyday of the year. It has something to do with winds that come off of lake Nicaragua. You are going at one of the best times of the year for south swells which are perfect for both breaks. The boat ride back is a *****. The pangas do not like chop and when those winds are howling off the lake you are going to be in for a rough ride, but its worth the trip. You should also be ok for winds in general. It's usually offshore in the morning till about 10 or 11 then it turns onshore for most of the day but by 4 the winds die and it can glass off again for a sunset surf. We leave on the 28th and have gone this time of the year for the last 6 years and we haven't been disappointed once. The smallest waves I've hit in CR were maybe stomach high and the biggest were double overhead. I've surfed Witches and Ollies every year but Ollies is only worth it if it's head high. Plus Ollies is a zoo with 7+ boats in the water and 40 or more people fighting for a wave.
