
Surf Forecasts:
Costa Banderas surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with 249 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Costa Banderas this week:
The surf forecast for Costa Banderas over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Costa Banderas in the next 16 days are 0.6m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Costa Banderas over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you: the next couple of weeks for Costa Banderas are looking pretty darn small. We've got a long stretch of weak surf, so don't get your hopes up too high. But there are a couple of little windows where things might line up.
Right now, the ocean is nearly asleep. The first few days are nothing special. Friday the 7th has tiny 1ft to 2ft SSW swell, but the morning is junk with a light cross-shore wind. The afternoon cleans up with a WNW cross-offshore breeze. The water is a toasty 89°, which is more than two degrees warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a big deal. The swell energy is weak, only (216) in the morning and (269) in the afternoon. It's small, but it might be the most rideable we see for a while.
The weekend and early next week are pretty bleak. Saturday and Sunday have ankle-biters at 2ft, but the winds are mostly onshore or cross, making it a mess. Monday the 10th is glassy in the morning with clean 2ft waves, but still just ordinary. Then we get a few more days of similar small surf, with the odd clean window, like Tuesday the 11th morning when a touch more energy shows (271) and it’s clean with a light cross-offshore wind.
The swell starts to fill in a little around the 14th and 15th. There’s a stronger pulse of SSW swell, with heights getting up to 3ft and the energy jumping to (442) on Friday the 14th afternoon and (383) on Saturday the 15th morning. The wind is light and offshore or cross-offshore, keeping things clean. These two days are the highlight of the whole stretch, but it’s still not big. The swell period is in that 16-17 second range, which is proper long-period groundswell. For a reef like Costa Banderas, this should mean some nice, lined-up waves. It’s still small enough for beginners, but there will be some push behind them.
After that, the swell backs off to the 2ft range with weaker energy, and we're back to the ordinary stuff. While the wave heights are small, there's a period from around the 17th onward where the wind swings more westerly and picks up. With the small, weak surf and these stronger cross-offshore winds, this might actually be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.
So, keep your eyes peeled for the 14th through the 16th. That’s the most promising stretch, especially the mornings. It won't be epic, but it'll be the cleanest and most powerful surf on offer. The rest of the time, you might be better off finding something else to do.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 30°C on Fri morning, min 22°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
120 | 197 | 173 | 169 | 150 | 121 | 138 | 127 | 68 | 118 | 96 | 77 | 154 | 154 | 107 | 208 | 125 | 193 | 198 | 157 | 171 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | on | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:10PM1.27m | 8:46AM1.09m | 5:45PM1.35m | 8:54AM1.17m | 6:52PM1.45m | 9:15AM1.24m | 7:45PM1.54m | 9:39AM1.29m | 8:31PM1.59m | 10:03AM1.32m | 9:13PM1.59m | 10:27AM1.35m | 9:52PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:49AM0.27m | 12:13PM1.02m | 1:38AM0.12m | 1:19PM0.92m | 2:19AM0.02m | 2:04PM0.82m | 2:56AM-0.03m | 2:44PM0.71m | 3:30AM-0.02m | 3:21PM0.62m | 4:01AM0.05m | 3:57PM0.56m | |||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 7:36 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | |
mm | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 1 | 5 |
Temp °C | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 35 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | NW 4 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
96 | 197 | 173 | 169 | 150 | 121 | 138 | 127 | 68 | 118 | 69 | 77 | 154 | 154 | 5 | 208 | 125 | 193 | 198 | 157 | 171 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | SSW 16 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 17 | NW 4 | SW 6 | NW 4 | WNW 5 | SW 20 | WNW 5 |
120 | 72 | 69 | 48 | 33 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 60 | 96 | 59 | 100 | 70 | 107 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 60 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 13 | — | W 13 | S 12 | W 16 | SW 22 | SW 22 | SW 21 | NW 5 | W 13 | NW 5 | WNW 13 | NW 12 | SW 13 | W 12 | W 13 | W 12 | SW 21 | W 12 | SW 19 |
— | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 94 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | NW 5 | — |
— | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 6 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nayarit | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Costa Banderas Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Costa Banderas provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Costa Banderas can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Costa Banderas surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Costa Banderas) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Costa Banderas may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Costa Banderas is 27 km (17 miles) from Puerto Vallarta. If you plan a holiday in Nayarit, look for hotels and other accommodation in Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











