Surf Forecasts:
Ixtapa surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 17s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 18s period, SW swell with 1,501 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 10s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Ixtapa in the next 16 days are 1.6m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Ixtapa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming down the line for our little stretch of coast. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the cards, and while it kicks off a little on the smaller side, the energy is building nicely. Right now, the water is sitting right where it should be for this time of year—nothing wild, just your typical warm August. The swell’s got some serious legs on it from the get-go, with that deep south-west groundswell rolling in at a long 18 seconds. That’s proper energy, and you can feel it in the numbers, with combined energy sitting at 767.
Sunday morning is a gentle start. Ixtapa will see clean, glassy 2ft swell from the SW at 18 seconds. It’s not huge, but that long period means the lines will be clean and the paddling out will be a breeze. Offshore wind from the NE at 3 mph, glassy water—this is the time for beginners or anyone wanting a smooth, easy session. The afternoon turns a bit messy with a cross-onshore breeze, so make the most of the morning.
Monday morning keeps the quality high. Another 2ft SW swell at 17 seconds, with offshore NNE wind at 6 mph keeping it clean. The afternoon goes glassy again—calm as a pond—and the swell bumps up just a touch to 3ft from the SSW at 16 seconds. Gorgeous.
Tuesday stays consistent but small. 2ft in the morning, clean with offshore wind; 2ft in the afternoon and glassy. These are fun, easy-going waves, perfect for a longboard or a foamie.
Wednesday morning is glassy again with 2ft at 16 seconds—nice little session. Afternoon goes onshore and the quality drops right off. Not worth it.
Thursday morning is the first real standout of the early run. You get 2ft from the SW at a massive 18-second period, clean cross-off wind from the east at 6 mph, and combined energy of 585. That’s a beautiful, clean groundswell with plenty of push for the size. The waves will be lined up and waiting.
Friday morning is where things start to get serious. Ixtapa fires up with 4ft from the SSW at 17 seconds, glassy conditions with 3 mph north wind—absolutely clean. This is the kind of morning you set an alarm for. Combined energy jumps to 1039, solid moderate energy. This is for experienced crew; the size and period demand respect, but the shape will be world-class. The afternoon bumps up to 5ft but picks up a cross-onshore breeze, so the morning is the clear winner here.
Saturday morning repeats the magic: 6ft from the SSW at 16 seconds, glassy, offshore wind. Combined energy hits 1788. This is proper swell for the experts. The afternoon sees a risk of thunderstorms and onshore wind, so again, get out early.
Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st back off a little. Sunday is a bit messy with cross-onshore wind, but Monday morning (31st) is clean again with 4ft SW swell and offshore north wind at 3 mph. Good, clean waves for the intermediate surfer.
Tuesday the 1st of September is dead flat calm—glassy water, zero wind, 3ft swell at 13 seconds. Clean but small.
Wednesday the 2nd through Thursday the 3rd keep that 3ft to 3ft SW swell rolling, glassy mornings. Nice conditions, consistent, nothing too exciting yet.
Then we get to the Friday the 4th of September and Saturday the 5th, and that’s where the real power arrives. Friday morning: 6ft from the SW at 17 seconds, glassy, combined energy of 2058—that’s strong energy. Saturday morning: 6ft from the SSW at 16 seconds, again glassy, combined energy of 2448. Both mornings are for experienced surfers only. The swell is big, it’s long period, and the conditions are pristine. These two mornings are the absolute peak of the whole outlook. Set your schedule.
Sunday the 6th offers a slightly more manageable 5ft with clean cross-off wind. Good for strong intermediates. Monday the 7th wraps it up with a clean 4ft morning.
So, looking at the whole picture, the best on offer is absolutely Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th of September, back-to-back mornings with clean, glassy conditions and solid SW groundswell. That’s the real deal for the experienced surfer. A close runner-up is the Friday the 28th of August morning—smaller but beautifully clean with that 17-second groundswell.
There’s no real big gap in the action here—the first record is Sunday morning, and from there it’s pretty consistent all the way through. Just keep an eye on the afternoons, as most of them get a touch of wind or tide issues.
This is Rusty, signing off. Go get some.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 31°C on Wed afternoon, min 27°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
352 | 323 | 352 | 408 | 298 | 475 | 400 | 208 | 258 | 302 | 196 | 176 | 171 | 316 | 251 | 330 | 753 | 1501 | 1057 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:03AM0.72m | 8:08PM0.54m | 10:19AM0.68m | 8:12PM0.56m | 10:31AM0.65m | 8:21PM0.58m | 10:36AM0.61m | 8:33PM0.59m | 10:34AM0.57m | 8:47PM0.59m | 10:22AM0.54m | 8:59PM0.57m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:42AM0.04m | 3:43PM0.40m | 2:58AM0.04m | 3:46PM0.42m | 3:14AM0.05m | 3:47PM0.44m | 3:28AM0.09m | 3:43PM0.44m | 3:38AM0.14m | 3:35PM0.43m | 3:42AM0.21m | 3:28PM0.40m | |||||||
— | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:02 | — | |
mm | 4 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 34 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SW 18 | SSW 13 |
158 | 286 | 352 | 261 | 298 | 475 | 400 | 208 | 258 | 302 | 196 | 176 | 171 | 251 | 251 | 330 | 753 | 1501 | 601 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | WSW 9 | W 6 | WSW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 20 | S 8 | SSW 10 | SW 16 |
352 | 158 | 161 | 408 | 189 | 178 | 127 | 81 | 79 | 65 | 34 | 50 | 157 | 316 | 209 | 306 | 115 | 226 | 1057 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | SW 7 | SSW 11 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | SW 7 | SW 13 | SW 13 | W 11 | W 10 |
186 | 323 | 258 | 115 | 75 | 54 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 70 | 35 | 33 | 19 | 18 | 27 | 111 | 171 | 22 | 31 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 4 | — | SW 6 | WNW 3 | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | — |
— | — | — | 5 | — | 14 | 5 | — | — | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 204 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 529 | 0 | 0 | 537 | 0 | 0 | 534 | 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.











