Barra Vieja
Surf spot · Mexico
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 553kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 470kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 379kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 307kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- WSW 0 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 249, fair
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 675, good
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 830, too small
- Mon 928, too small
- Tue 1030, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 49, fair | 5 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 659kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 553kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 4 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 379kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 75, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 307kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 0 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:10 −0.4 mHigh 07:47 +0.4 mLow 14:06 −0.3 mHigh 19:57 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:02 −0.3 mHigh 08:27 +0.4 mLow 14:43 −0.3 mHigh 20:50 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:59 −0.3 mHigh 09:09 +0.3 mLow 15:22 −0.3 mHigh 21:48 +0.3 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Barra Vieja on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Barra Vieja
More surf near here
4 places
- La Bonfil 15.2 km away
- Playa Princess 22.8 km away
- Revolcadero 22.9 km away
- Barra de coyuca 48 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Barra Vieja
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 5 good days in 7; in May, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Acapulco.
Water about 30°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$764–US$1,410 each
about US$764–US$1,410 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ACA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$543 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$764–US$1,410 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Acapulco
about 1h 05m by car · 120 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Acapulco its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Acapulco, 35 km (about 1h 05m by car)
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 12h 05m
About 12h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ACA, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → ACA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.