The Swell Show

Edition 16 · Friday, October 30, 2026

The weekend keeps filling up.

Tomorrow, Friday, almost 6 in 10 places have guests, about 2,100 people. It's the busiest day since we started measuring in mid-October. In the last day alone, about 50 more places were booked for Friday.

Morning, line-up.

Tide alerts

  • Heads up

    Gas prices go up. ARESEP approved the increase today: regular goes up ₡89 per liter, to ₡808, and diesel ₡23. It takes effect the day after it's published in La Gaceta: if you run a work vehicle or transfers, fill up today. Source

  • Heads up

    The drought red alert is still on. Cóbano and Paquera remain under a red alert for El Niño, declared on October 22. Check for leaks and save water: the dry season may arrive with lower reserves. Source

Today’s story

How the weekend is shaping up

Today, Thursday the 29th: more than half of places have guests, about 2,000 people, and more than 1 in 3 hotels is full. 1.3 m waves and a dry day.

Tomorrow, Friday the 30th: in a single day, about 50 more places were booked for Friday and about 40 for Saturday. Hotels moved more: yesterday 1 in 4 was full for Friday; today it's almost 4 in 10.

For your business: Friday and Saturday are the strong days of the week. Sunday drops to less than half the area with guests, and Monday and Tuesday come in slower and rainy.

What to do today

Lodging
Don't slash Friday or Saturday: they keep getting last-minute bookings. Whatever is still open, move it for Sunday the 1st or Monday the 2nd.
Restaurants
Full staff and extra stock on Friday and Saturday. Have reservations and big tables ready from Friday night.
Shops and services
Friday looks almost dry with 1.2 m waves: a good day for lessons and board rentals. Saturday will likely bring rain: have an indoor option ready just in case.

The numbers

38%of hotels are full for Friday. Yesterday, for the same Friday, it was 23%: about 25 more hotels with no room in a single day.
US$77is the typical nightly price of what's still open for Friday. For Saturday, US$93; yesterday, for Saturday, it was US$107.
30places, roughly, are open on Friday but already have guests later in the week. Yesterday, for Thursday, it was about 50.

By price

Over US$151, more than 6 in 10 have guests

For Friday, more than 6 in 10 places over US$151 already have guests. Budget places moved too: 44% with guests, against 40% yesterday for Thursday.

Budgetup to US$60
44%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
56%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
61%
Luxuryover US$350
63%

Share of places booked for tomorrow at each nightly rate. Every place in the area, classified one by one.

What the tide brings in

  1. In Costa Rica

    Fuel increase approved

    ARESEP approved the third increase in a row: regular goes up ₡89 per liter (to ₡808), super ₡42 and diesel ₡23. The 25-pound gas cylinder goes up ₡549. It takes effect the day after publication in La Gaceta.

    Source: Monumental

  2. In Costa Rica

    High tides on the Pacific through Saturday

    The highest tides of the season continue through October 31 and return to normal from Sunday the 1st. Check the high-tide time before parking or setting up on the beach.

    Source: The Tico Times

  3. Around the world

    A new form to fly to the United States

    From November 3, every passenger flying to the United States, including connections, must sign a CDC health declaration. Without it they can't board: let your guests know.

    Source: The Tico Times

See you in the water.

How we measure · Occupancy = 1 − places free for 3 nights ÷ total inventory. It’s a ceiling: some places block dates without being booked. Sources: the main booking platforms, Open-Meteo and the Central Bank of Costa Rica. Measured October 29 at 6:00.