WEATHER
By Capt. MarkOur Local Weather
HERE IS WHAT TO EXPECT
THE DRY SEASON
JAN TO APRIL:
The wind should be in full swing from mid Jan on thru to April. The Upside: Solid 15-30 knot wind, excellent for sailing. It also means that you can pretty much count on Sunny days, All Day, Every Day and Calm Anchorage. The Downside: Cooler to almost cold water temperatures due to upwelling from cooler waters below as the wind pushes the top layer out to sea. Unfortunately, this inhibits visibility as well and snorkeling should not be the focal point of your excursion. This time of year we recommend a Lycra swim top and plenty of Sunscreen.
THE GREEN SEASON
APRIL:
– By mid April, the winds should be dying down and the water is warming back up. This time, along with December is one of the very nicest times of year. Holidays are over, its quiet and beautiful tropical weather. The winds are variable as the season starts to change.
MAY:
We start getting some occasional showers in the afternoon and within a week of the first
slightest rain, the Green is back. The water is back to warm and generally back to clear.
JUNE:
– Wind switching from variable to SW onshore breezes. You can expect 2-3 days in a row of rain (called a “Temporal”) sometime in June but generally the weather is nice with mornings being your best shot for Sun and water clarity.
JULY AND AUGUST:
– Here comes Indian Summer or as it’s known locally “Veronito” meaning “Little
Summer”. In general you can expect beautiful days with afternoon showers. However, when
the Veranillo hits (which will be for at least two weeks and no one knows when that will be
exactly) we have our Summer, Papagayo weather but with warm, clear water. An absolute
beautiful time to be here.
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER:
– This time of year, you can pretty much count on afternoon showers starting around 2:00pm. We highly recommend doing morning trips during these months. And the mornings are exquisite. Flat seas, warm water, excellent visibility (except during a Temporal) and an abundance of Sea Life.
NOVEMBER:
– The weather starts to dry out making for some vibrant colors between the Sun, Sea and Green landscape. The winds start switching back and forth between SW Onshore and some light NE Papagayos. Still some rainy afternoons until mid-November and Thanksgiving. Our Springtime (coming out of winter) is November and December and in my opinion, the nicest season out of the year here. Light offshore breezes , Sunny Skies , Green and so fresh coming off of a nice couple of months cleaning, not to mention beautiful water conditions.
DECEMBER:
– The 1st–25th before the crowds arrive (Dec. 26) I believe is the best time of year period. Basically you have the place to yourself. “The Coast is Clear” and all yours! Expect the change to Windy season right about Christmas time.
These are my observations based on my time spent sailing these waters
Of course, this is a generalization and any given year has its own personality.
I’ve seen it rain everyday in October and seen zero rain in October.
I can say with most certainty that the Papagayo conditions (Jan-April ) have been consistently steady as described, every year that I have seen.
In any case, all year long there are pros and cons to the weather on any given day. Our crews job is to use their experience and local knowledge to find the best location to anchor and the best route to get there on any given day in any given conditions Sea and Wind. We are very experienced in making the very best of each days uniqueness.
Your job is to bring an attitude that welcomes natures plan for your particular day. One very nice compliment about Pacific Soul is that no matter what the weather, too hot or too wet, we have you covered. Literally.
We have plenty of shade and air conditioning if you’re hot and plenty of room to stay dry if a rain shower passes by.
I am always happy to go into detail with you about what to expect on your exact date or dates.