Surf Forecasts:
Ixtapa surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 17s period, SSW swell with 1,865 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 18s period with SW 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s. 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 9AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (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, looking at the surf coming our way for Ixtapa. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the cards, so let’s get into it.
The pattern is looking really promising, with a decent SW groundswell building in right from the get-go. This isn't a tiny little windswell; we're talking about a proper, long-period pulse that’s gonna bring some real energy. The water temp is sitting at 88° and that's a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you'll be happy in boardshorts or a springy at most.
Kicking things off on Friday the 28th of August, we’ve got a nice 5ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 17 seconds. The wave energy is strong at 1089 (moderate to strong). It's a bit on the bigger side for a beginner, but for the experienced crew, the morning is looking excellent with a light cross-offshore breeze. That afternoon, the swell picks up a touch to 5ft, still with that long period, but the wind swings cross-offshore again, keeping things clean.
Saturday the 29th of August is a beauty. The morning is the standout, with a 6ft SSW swell and the wind going glassy. That's as good as it gets for clean conditions. The energy is pumping at 1736 (strong). This is the best on offer for the first week. The afternoon sees the wind turn cross-onshore, so get out early.
Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st still have good 4ft to 5ft SW swell with glassy mornings, perfect for a relaxed session. The energy drops into the 500-900 range (moderate), but the quality remains high.
There's a bit of a lull mid-week around the 1st and 2nd of September with smaller 3ft swell, but then it fires back up. The morning of Thursday the 3rd of September is another cracker, with a clean 5ft SW groundswell (18 seconds) and glassy conditions. The real standout of the second week, though, is Friday the 4th of September. We see the biggest swell of the forecast, a solid 6ft from the SSW, with glassy conditions in the morning. That's one for the experienced riders only, with wave energy at 1953 (strong to very strong). The following Saturday the 5th of September morning is very similar at 6ft and glassy.
After that, the swell backs off a little into the second week, but the pattern holds with clean mornings and smaller, but still fun, waves around 4ft to 4ft.
Overall, the early mornings from Saturday the 29th of August through to Tuesday the 8th of September are where it's at. It’s an optimistic forecast, and if you can only pick one window, make it the morning of Saturday the 29th of August or Friday the 4th of September. The wind is mostly light or offshore through the mornings, and that long-period SW swell is going to wrap in nicely.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1012 | 1501 | 1271 | 1356 | 1288 | 1045 | 846 | 682 | 540 | 472 | 406 | 394 | 341 | 346 | 261 | 386 | 432 | 295 | 1249 | 1098 | 1275 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | off | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:22AM0.54m | 8:59PM0.57m | 9:53AM0.53m | 9:03PM0.53m | 9:03AM0.54m | 8:50PM0.47m | 8:20AM0.59m | 8:15PM0.42m | 8:04AM0.66m | 7:33PM0.39m | 8:05AM0.73m | 7:00PM0.39m | 8:16AM0.78m | 6:49PM0.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:28PM0.40m | 3:34AM0.29m | 3:25PM0.37m | 3:06AM0.35m | 3:28PM0.35m | 2:01AM0.38m | 3:32PM0.33m | 00:44AM0.34m | 3:27PM0.33m | 00:27AM0.26m | 3:11PM0.34m | 00:39AM0.17m | 2:57PM0.35m | 1:01AM0.08m | |||||||
6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:58 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 8 |
Temp °C | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 32 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 |
1012 | 1501 | 1271 | 1356 | 1288 | 1045 | 846 | 682 | 540 | 472 | 406 | 394 | 341 | 346 | 261 | 241 | 432 | 295 | 1249 | 1098 | 1275 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 9 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | SW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 8 | W 10 | SSW 12 |
55 | 73 | 197 | 369 | 141 | 76 | 47 | 84 | 68 | 90 | 128 | 83 | 62 | 57 | 243 | 386 | 233 | 164 | 45 | 98 | 186 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | W 8 | S 8 | S 12 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | WSW 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | WSW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | SSW 12 | W 10 |
13 | 45 | 49 | 11 | 33 | 22 | 29 | 42 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 84 | 154 | 209 | 44 | 41 | 57 | 56 | 67 | 121 | 102 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 4 | WNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 306 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 501 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Guerrero | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











