Surf Forecast  Potrero Grande

Potrero Grande surfspot characteristics

More about Potrero Grande surfspot

While US Colonel Oliver North is long gone, the name Ollie’s Point has stuck to this way above average righthand pointbreak, located on the Pacific coast near the Nicaraguan border. While an expensive boat trip from Playas del Coco is the only way in, it doesn’t deter the crowds who flock here in a big S or medium W swell to sample the plenty-long, ruler-edged walls perfect for thwacking and the cover-ups that section off at low tide. Ideal for dialing in some moves thanks to it’s predictability and forgiving nature, Potrero Grande is one of the funnest rides in CR. Access through the national park is only possible in the dry season and hazards include getting bogged, small crocs, small sharks and very large mosquitoes!

General: With offshores funneling through the jungle, perfectly tapered rights peeling down the rock-strewn point, a grassy headland above and crystal-clear water underneath, this rivermouth/pointbreak has to be one of the more enjoyable rights in the world -- like a warm-water Rincon minus the crowd. The only problem with Ollie's Point is its narrow swell window -- it has to be a solid SW swell to even show, and even then, Witches Rock (and Tamarindo and Playa Hermosa, etc.) are generally bigger. But if you get it on a head-high to slightly overhead day, your bag of tricks will get deeper as the day goes on, as the wave is as long as it is forgiving. There are even occasional tube sections, especially when the wintertime offshore wind blows. Tides: Low to mid. Size: Head high to double overhead Wind: Northeast Swell: SW Bottom: Rocks, sand. Paddling: Long paddles back out. Spot Rating: Extremely fun, but fickle.

Beginner to advanced depending on size

Boating in is only option.

April to October

Crowd Factor: Despite its remoteness, Ollie's does get crowded when word of a big south swell gets out. Local Vibe: Mellow.

It was named because of an airstrip nearby used by US Colonel Oliver North to land weapons for the Nicaraguan Contras. This is the wave featured on “Endless Summer II”. It's not possible to stay on land in the national park but there is a charter boat that can spend the night offshore and get you into the line-up first thing before other boats have been able to make the 35km, 3hr journey from Playas del Coco. There's also a slabby righthander in front of the cliffs on the southern headland called Laberinto.

Clean

The wave is care-free, but beware that medical assistance of any kind is a long ways away.