Punta Palmilla
Surf spot · Mexico
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 468kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 328kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 238kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 194kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 159, fair
- Mon 270, good
- Tue 366, good
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 660, good
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1017, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
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 | 59, fair | 5 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 565kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 70, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 468kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 66, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 328kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 60, good | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 194kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the east, 4 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:21 +0.1 mLow 05:44 +0.1 mHigh 12:33 +0.4 mLow 21:02 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:43 +0.3 mLow 09:44 +0.0 mHigh 15:10 +0.3 mLow 22:14 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:10 +0.4 mLow 11:00 −0.2 mHigh 16:43 +0.4 mLow 23:05 −0.5 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Punta Palmilla 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Old Man's 2 km away
- The rock 2 km away
- Zippers 2.5 km away
- Costa Azul 4 km away
- La Bocana 5.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta Palmilla
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (140°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (320°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 22°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is San José del Cabo, 6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 1 dive site and 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 28°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$750–US$1,390 each
about US$750–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 MDW to SJD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$529 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$750–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: 2 towns
11 min by car · 105 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About San José del Cabo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cabo San Lucas on Booking.com
43 min by car · 193 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 30m
About 8h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SJD, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SJD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.