Surf-Forecast | Playa Tortugas Surf Guide

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*:
River	3	fairly consistent	30.2°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.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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)

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:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 18 June 2026, 19:50 Local Time

m, °C	Thu	Friday 19
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	16	16	16	15
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	glass	glass

What does Playa Tortugas look like?

Latest photos from Playa Tortugas. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Chino JES Credit: Chino JES Credit: Chino JES Credit: Chino JES

Tides at Playa Tortugas

Current tide and informaton

For Platanitos, 1 km from Playa Tortugas.

Next High Water: 11:25pm | 1.41m

Next Low Water: 06:44am | 0.37m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Playa Tortugas Sea Temperature

Sunny with very warm air temperatures, feeling like 28.0 °C once we account for any wind. Sea temperatures (30.2 °C) very warm too. Staying comfortable in the water at Playa Tortugas won't be a problem, but wear at least a rash-vest to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a rashvest wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 30.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite