Tico Wind, Costa Rica Lake Arenal

The only difference is we don´t have the reef and the jellyfish, so you´re safe to concentrate on having fun. From mid-November through April the easterly trade winds blowing across the Caribbean are reinforced by the strong north -easterly flow from the Gulf of Mexico. The winds are funneled through the mountains of northern Costa Rica and reach maximum strength at the western end of the lake, right where Tico Wind has its launch site. The wind is pretty much sideshore and most ramps set up for port tack jumping with chop and swell reaching 1.5m (5') on the big days! December through February are guaranteed Gorge-like conditions while March and April offer a mixture of 4.0m² to 6.0m². How consistently strong is the wind? I hear you ask. Well, most local sailors don´t own a sail over 5.5m² or a board over 90 something liters. I weigh around 190 lbs (90kg) and sail more than 60% of the days 5.0m² or smaller on an 80 to 85 ltr board. My wife weighs.......................less and sails mainly 3.5m²/4.0m² on a 66 ltr board ! **.....actualy I weigh between 60 and 63 kg, depending how much sailing time I get in " the wife"


Please note: You have to add ca 50 % to the knots shown on windfinder. For actual wind speed, have a look at our facebook page.

Statement from Windfinder Windfinder.com "I have just had a look at your location. It seems that Lake Arenal is a place in a mountaineous region with probably a lot of local effects - this is probably the hardest thing for every forecast model in the world. It is very hard to get an accurate prediction for such locations."

Costa Rica Lake Arenal - Wind and Water