Surf Forecasts:
Ixtapa surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,842 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Ixtapa this week:
The surf forecast for Ixtapa over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Ixtapa in the next 16 days are 1.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Ixtapa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks for Ixtapa. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming, starting right now with some clean, friendly waves for the beginner crew, building into some serious juice for the experienced surfers later in the week.
The water is sitting at a warm 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the wetsuit at home.
We kick off Monday morning, 31st August, with glassy conditions. The swell is a clean 4 ft out of the SW with a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (486), and with the wind dead calm, it’s a perfect setup for the beginners. The waves will be lined up and forgiving. The afternoon sees a cross-on breeze come up, so the morning is definitely the call.
Tuesday morning, 1st September, is another glassy gem. Swell drops slightly to 3 ft, still from the SSW with a 13-second period. Energy is moderate (531). The water is glassy, and the waves will be clean and fun for the longboard or a mid-length.
Now, things start to get interesting. Wednesday morning, 2nd September, the period jumps to 16 seconds, and the energy surges to strong (1083). The swell is 3 ft from the SW, with a clean offshore breeze from the NW. This is a proper groundswell. The waves will have real shape and push, but the long period might make the sets a bit more spaced out. This is a good time for the more experienced surfers.
Thursday morning, 3rd September, is the standout of the week. The swell pushes to 5 ft from the SSW, with a very long 18-second period. The energy is very strong (1603) and the wind is glassy from the north. This is a serious, powerful groundswell that will hit the exposed points and reefs with authority. Not for beginners – this is a session for the crew who can handle some size and a long, lully period. The quality will be excellent.
Friday morning, 4th September, keeps the ball rolling. The swell is 6 ft from the SW, with a 17-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is very strong (1999). This is a heavy, powerful swell, and only for the experts. The waves will be big, clean, and demanding.
Saturday morning, 5th September, has a 6 ft SSW swell, 16 seconds, with a clean offshore wind from the NNE. The energy is strong (1550). Still big, still expert territory, but the winds will clean it up perfectly.
We start to see a slow decline from Sunday, 6th September, with the swell easing to 5 ft, but the mornings remain glassy and the quality is still excellent through the 9th of September. The energy drops from very strong back to moderate-high (1065 down to 603).
After the 9th, the swell hangs around the 3 ft to 4 ft range for the next several days, with periods still in the 13-17 second range. The mornings continue to be glassy or clean, making for some very good, playful sessions. The crowds are possible at Ixtapa, but with the windows of quality being so wide, there’s plenty of waves to go around.
The window from the 10th to the 13th of September is still good, with the 10th and 11th mornings offering clean, glassy 4-4 ft SW groundswells. The energy is back to moderate (881 on the 10th). The 12th and 13th are smaller, around 3 ft-3 ft, but still glassy and fun.
From the 14th of September, things get a bit more marginal. The swell drops to 3-3 ft, and the afternoons see onshore winds and a risk of thunderstorms. The mornings on the 14th and 15th are still worth a look with a clean cross-shore or glassy conditions, and a little bit of long-period energy, but the real quality is behind us.
In short, the first week is the highlight. The Wednesday morning to Saturday morning window is the absolute best on offer, with big, clean, powerful groundswells for the experts. The earlier mornings are perfect for the beginners. The second week is smaller but still has plenty of clean morning sessions on offer.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
406 | 412 | 357 | 346 | 382 | 262 | 386 | 432 | 360 | 1415 | 1644 | 1417 | 1799 | 1631 | 1498 | 1339 | 1225 | 911 | 807 | 701 | 638 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | off | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:15PM0.42m | 8:04AM0.66m | 7:33PM0.39m | 8:05AM0.73m | 7:00PM0.39m | 8:16AM0.78m | 6:49PM0.43m | 8:32AM0.81m | 6:59PM0.48m | 8:52AM0.82m | 7:20PM0.54m | 9:14AM0.81m | 7:46PM0.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:32PM0.33m | 00:44AM0.34m | 3:27PM0.33m | 00:27AM0.26m | 3:11PM0.34m | 00:39AM0.17m | 2:57PM0.35m | 1:01AM0.08m | 2:52PM0.36m | 1:28AM0.00m | 2:55PM0.37m | 1:57AM-0.04m | 3:03PM0.37m | 2:28AM-0.05m | |||||||
6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 7 | — | — | 7 | — | 1 | 12 |
Temp °C | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 35 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 10 | SW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
406 | 412 | 357 | 346 | 382 | 262 | 347 | 340 | 360 | 1415 | 1644 | 1417 | 1799 | 1631 | 1498 | 1339 | 1225 | 911 | 807 | 701 | 638 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 11 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 |
63 | 63 | 52 | 154 | 209 | 261 | 350 | 432 | 274 | 188 | 137 | 131 | 200 | 259 | 202 | 200 | 233 | 268 | 237 | 242 | 185 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SW 19 | SW 6 | WSW 9 | SSE 6 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | — | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 8 | S 8 | S 8 |
17 | 58 | 9 | 31 | 14 | 243 | 386 | 230 | 299 | — | 183 | 158 | — | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 21 | 34 | 33 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 7 | NW 3 | — | — | WNW 3 | — | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 15 | 5 | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 134 | 0 | 0 | 509 | 0 | 0 | 298 | 0 | 0 | 501 | 0 | 0 | 530 | 39 | 0 | 537 | 0 | 0 | 501 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guerrero | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Ixtapa Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Ixtapa provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Ixtapa can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Ixtapa 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 (Ixtapa) 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 Ixtapa 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.
Ixtapa is 7 km (4 miles) from Zihuatanejo. If you plan a holiday in Guerrero, look for hotels and other accommodation in Zihuatanejo. Zihuatanejo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











