Puerto Vallarta
Surf spot · Mexico
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 229kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- E 0 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 178, good
- Mon 273, good
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 436, too small
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jan, Sep–Oct4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 78, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the east, 0 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft13 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 30°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:34 +0.2 mLow 08:00 +0.2 mHigh 14:07 +0.3 mLow 22:19 −0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:47 +0.3 mLow 11:15 +0.0 mHigh 16:27 +0.3 mLow 23:24 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:12 +0.4 mLow 12:10 −0.1 mHigh 17:48 +0.4 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 Jan, Sep–Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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 and its town
Puerto Vallarta 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Punta Burros 6.1 km away
- Pools 6.2 km away
- La lancha 9.6 km away
- Veneros 12.2 km away
- Anclote 12.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Puerto Vallarta
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September and October, with about 4 good days in 7; in February, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 29°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$1,390 each
about US$764–US$1,390 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 ORD to PVR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$523 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–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$1,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
6 min by car · 48 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About La Cruz de Huanacaxtle its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Corral Del Risco on Booking.com
21 min by car · 55 places to stay
- Beds in Punta de Mita on Booking.com
21 min by car · 55 places to stay
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 8h 45m
About 8h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PVR, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → PVR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.