Playa Tortugas Surf Guide

Playa Tortugas in Nayarit is an exposed river break that has pretty consitent surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west southwest. Waves at the river break both left and right. Best around low tide. When it's working here, it can get crowded. Take care of - Rips / undertow - Localism.

Playa Tortugas Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
River3fairly consistent
27.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Playa Tortugas:

The best conditions reported for surf at Playa Tortugas occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

What's the best time of year to surf Playa Tortugas (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: summer
The best time of year for surfing Playa Tortugas with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer  and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 56% of the time in October while 32% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 12% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
56%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
32%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
12%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Playa Tortugas Location Map

Interactive Playa Tortugas surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to Playa Tortugas is Tepic Airport (TPQ) in Mexico, which is 43 km (27 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Playa Tortugas is Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International (Puerto Vallarta) Airport (PVR), also in Mexico, 74 km (46 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Playa Tortugas Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 15:36 Local Time
Monday 04Tue
3PM6PM9PM0AM
Wave (m)
0.3
SW
0.3
SW
0.4
SW
0.4
WSW
Period (s) 13 13 16 16
Wind (km/h)
15
15
5
5
Wind State cross-
on
cross glass glass

Swell History at Playa Tortugas

Surf stats for Playa Tortugas, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Playa Tortugas

Wind stats for Playa Tortugas, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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