Vallarta Rivermouth
Surf spot · Mexico
Is it worth the trip?
13Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 2 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft19 s
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NW 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 108, too small
- Wed 118, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–7 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jan–Mar, May5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft19 s2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:11 +0.4 mLow 12:08 −0.1 mHigh 17:47 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:11 −0.4 mHigh 06:37 +0.5 mLow 12:49 −0.3 mHigh 18:44 +0.4 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:47 −0.4 mHigh 07:01 +0.6 mLow 13:25 −0.5 mHigh 19:31 +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–Mar, May
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 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
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Vallarta Rivermouth on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Vallarta Rivermouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and May, with about 5 good days in 7; in July and August, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Puerto Vallarta, 7.4 km away (11 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
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$751–US$1,380 each
about US$751–US$1,380 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 2 November 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$27–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$751–US$1,380 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
11 min by car · 143 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Puerto Vallarta its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle on Booking.com
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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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 8h 40m
About 8h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PVR, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → PVR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.