Ixtapa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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