Staying Home Sucks, home
Lifeguard House Playa Zicatela
Zicatela. Photo: reyperezoso on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Zicatela

Surf spot · Mexico

Is it worth the trip?

38Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 52 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 shollow
Energy
659kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
31°C

Tue 3 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
573kJ
Wind
SSW 0 kn
Temp
32°C

Wed 4 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
510kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
31°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
448kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
31°C

Fri 6 · 34 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
296kJ
Wind
SSE 0 kn
Temp
31°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 shollow
Energy
85kJ
Wind
SW 6 kn
Temp
31°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 shollow
Energy
113kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
31°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 147, fair
  2. Mon 252, fair
  3. Tue 345, fair
  4. Wed 437, too small
  5. Thu 537, too small
  6. Fri 634, too small
  7. Sat 710, too small
  8. Sun 814, too small
  9. Mon 910, too small
  10. Tue 1012, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Expertwho it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 30 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

Zicatela does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Zicatela, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov47, fair5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.)693kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot32°C
Mon 2Nov52, fair5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.)659kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore31°C
Tue 3Nov45, fair5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.)573kJwind from the south-south-west, 0 knots32°C
Wed 4Nov37, too small5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.)510kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore31°C
Thu 5Nov37, too small5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)448kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot31°C
Fri 6Nov34, too small4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)296kJwind from the south-south-east, 0 knots31°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots31°C
Sun 8Nov14, too small2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.)113kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots31°C
Mon 9Nov10, too small1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the south, 3 knots32°C
Tue 10Nov12, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots31°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 NovLow 00:27 −0.5 mHigh 06:58 +0.6 mLow 13:21 −0.5 mHigh 19:24 +0.4 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:23 −0.5 mHigh 07:49 +0.6 mLow 14:09 −0.5 mHigh 20:21 +0.4 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:24 −0.4 mHigh 08:43 +0.5 mLow 15:01 −0.4 mHigh 21:24 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Zicatela

Al sur de Zicatela
Photo: aepedraza on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cabañas con cruz
Photo: reyperezoso on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

3 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Zicatela

Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (247°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (67°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Puerto Escondido, 5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PXM, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$261–US$543
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$295
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout 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: Puerto Escondido

Closest

Puerto Escondido

9 min by car · 194 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 194 places to stay in Puerto Escondido · Booking.com

About Puerto Escondido its beds, food and every spot near it

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 11h 55m

About 11h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PXM, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 20 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.