
Surf Forecasts:
Zicatela surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with 1,688 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Zicatela this week:
The surf forecast for Zicatela over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Zicatela in the next 16 days are 1.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Zicatela over the next 16 days.
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s heading our way.
We’ve got a solid run of surf on the cards at the main break, starting this Wednesday and stretching out a couple of weeks. There’s no gap at the start—we’re straight into it.
The big news is a beautiful, long-period SSW groundswell that shows up right away. Wednesday morning is the standout, and it’s a classic Zicatela day. We’re looking at a solid 6 ft of swell out of the SSW, with a very long 16-second period pushing a strong 1441 units of energy behind it. Glassy conditions with a light ESE air, so it’s going to be clean. This is the pick of the whole period—excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers. If you’re not comfortable on a big, grinding beach break, this one might be too much. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.
Thursday and Friday mornings ease off a touch to 4 ft, but still with that lovely 15-second period. Both mornings are glassy or near glassy (WNW 5 km/h on Friday), so the quality stays high. Saturday and Sunday mornings look similar, with 4 ft and 4 ft SSW swells, glassy conditions, and good energy (around 647-791 units). The pattern holds through the first week, with clean mornings giving way to afternoon onshores and a risk of thunderstorms.
Monday the 13th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is a write-off with gusty cross-offshore winds, but the afternoon flips. A new swell comes in—7 ft from the SE, but with a short period of 8 seconds. That’s a lot of energy (1200 units), but the short period means it might be a bit bouncy. Good for experienced surfers again, but less clean.
Into the second week, swells ease off. From around July 15th onward, we’re looking at smaller waves, mostly in the 2 ft to 3 ft range. There are still some promising windows, like Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th mornings, with 3 ft and 3 ft SSW/SW swells and 14-18 second periods. Glassy conditions on the Saturday morning, with a calm NE wind, and near-glassy on Sunday morning with a NNE breeze. These are good, clean, fun-size waves.
The very end of the outlook, around July 21st-23rd, has small, clean mornings with 3 ft to 3 ft SW swell and glassy to clean conditions. It’s not the big stuff, but it’s rideable and uncrowded-feeling. This far out, it’s promising but less certain.
Because Zicatela is exposed and fairly consistent, when the swell drops out, it can feel slow. But with the number of clean mornings we’ve got, this is a solid run. Crowds are possible here, so get out early for the best of it.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 31°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tue 14 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SE 8 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2048 | 1393 | 1094 | 1067 | 815 | 683 | 674 | 665 | 683 | 805 | 726 | 806 | 679 | 602 | 334 | 487 | 347 | 567 | 273 | 643 | 319 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 8:30AM1.03m | 8:18PM0.78m | 9:18AM1.08m | 9:06PM0.75m | 10:11AM1.12m | 10:01PM0.72m | 11:08AM1.16m | 11:02PM0.72m | 12:08PM1.18m | 00:09AM0.73m | 1:09PM1.19m | 1:17AM0.77m | 2:08PM1.20m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:47AM0.12m | 2:45PM0.29m | 2:26AM0.09m | 3:42PM0.28m | 3:12AM0.06m | 4:42PM0.27m | 4:06AM0.03m | 5:45PM0.25m | 5:07AM0.02m | 6:47PM0.22m | 6:12AM0.01m | 7:48PM0.18m | 7:21AM0.01m | ||||||||
— | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | |
— | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:02 | |
mm | 5 | — | 2 | 4 | — | 1 | 8 | — | 2 | 6 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 12 | 3 | — | 4 | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 31 | 31 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 30 |
Feels °C | 32 | 34 | 35 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 34 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 13 | S 9 |
2048 | 1393 | 1094 | 1067 | 815 | 683 | 674 | 665 | 683 | 805 | 726 | 806 | 679 | 602 | 334 | 487 | 347 | 220 | 227 | 643 | 257 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 13 |
3 | 17 | 144 | 75 | 69 | 61 | 59 | 78 | 69 | 70 | 63 | 61 | 55 | 39 | 129 | 38 | 54 | 229 | 273 | 190 | 312 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSE 12 | S 12 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SSW 20 | SSW 20 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SW 22 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 8 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | S 15 | SW 18 |
5 | 31 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 75 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 117 | 69 | 184 | 184 | 70 | 319 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 4 | — | — | SE 8 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | 567 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Oaxaca | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Zicatela Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Zicatela provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Zicatela can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Zicatela 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 (Zicatela) 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 Zicatela 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Oaxaca? If you are looking for accommodation near Zicatela, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Oaxaca, consider staying in Puerto Escondido which is 1 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Oaxaca where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Nopala which is 31 km (19 miles) away and Miahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz, 73 km (45 miles) away.











