Having more than 6000 miles of coastline with over 1500 miles on the mainland Pacific, Mexico can be surfed throughout the year and gets consistent surf. The main surfing season is from April to October with beautiful weather, warm water temperatures and good. Waves are generated throughout the year by the deep Southern Ocean low pressure systems and more localized tropical storms, June to October being hurricane season.
To surfers, Mexico offers different varieties from a gnarly, hollow, tubing beachbreak like Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca) or Pascuales (Colima) to a mellow longboard heaven like Sayulita (Nayarit) or La Saladita (Guerrero).

Chiapas may not be so famous for surfing like Baja, Michoacan, Guerrero or Oaxaca, but there are some good surfing breaks along the coast. Puerto Arista near the Oaxaca/Chiapas border has some very good surf , consistent and with 5 ft faces off a sand-bar break. San Benito break, near the residential area of Playa Linda at Puerto Madero, is considered the best for surfing in this area. Barra de San José and Barra de San Benito are two other Puerto Madera area beaches which are favorites of surfers.

There are numerous surf spots along the nearly 500 km extension of the Pacific Coast of the State of Guerrero, Mexico, from beaches close to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Acapulco to remote breaks accessible via narrow and bumpy side roads. Playa Bonfil is one of the Acapulco surf spots that often hosts contests and competitions. When the swell is just right, the waves off the Las Gatas rocky point can be perfect for an excellent ride.
Lying completely within Zihuatanejo Bay, Playa Madera can put up some surf during the summer season. Some other surfing spots in the area are Playa Escolleras, Playa Linda, Troncones Beach, Playa Manzanillo, Playa La Saladita, Juluchuca, Loma Bonita and La Barrita.

Boca de Pascuales on the Colima coast is a surfers dream, or nightmare, a rivermouth beach break with some of the largest, hollowest, and fastest tubes in Mexico. The surfing spots along the coast of Jalisco include Quimixto, Barra de Navidad Jetty, Punta Farallon, La Manzanilla, El Ranchito and El Tecuan. La Ticla is famous as a long left point break, beginning at the Rio Ostula and peeling for up to 200 meters. The beach at La Ticla has a few small palapa restaurants with hammocks and area for camping. New cabanas have been constructed on the south end of the beach. Nayarit boasts several nice surf spots along its south coast. The coast of Nayarit during the summer becomes a surfers paradise. On Banderas Bay, in the area north of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, just over the Nayarit border between Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Punta Mita, there is a series of reef, beach and rock jetty breaks that work when there's a large enough west swell; best surfing is from July to November. Long paddles or access by hired local boats (pangas). There are several surf shops and surf resorts in the area.

Having miles of Pacific coastline, Oaxaca offers surfers some fantastic beach and point breaks. Playa Zicatela at Puerto Escondido is undoubtedly the most frequented and is called the Mexico Pipeline. Puerto Escondido is the home of Zicatela Beach, one of the most renowned surf spots in the world. On the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico in the state of Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido is nearly 110 km.from the new beach resort of Huatulco and 70 km from Puerto Angel and Zipolite. It's only a 5-hour drive from downtown Acapulco.


Back To Articles Index