Surf Forecasts:
Zicatela surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 17s period, SSW swell with 975 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period with SW 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 19s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Zicatela in the next 16 days are 1.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Zicatela over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let’s dig into what’s on the menu at Zicatela for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, don’t bother with Thursday afternoon. It’s a mess of weak jumbled swell and onshore wind. Save your energy.
The real show kicks off on Friday morning, September 11th. We’ve got a clean 4ft swell out of the SW, with about 15 seconds between waves. The wind is glassy, which is the dream for this spot. This is a solid start. The water temp is running about 88°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
Saturday morning (September 12th) keeps that glassy vibe going. Swell drops a bit to 3ft, still from the SW, and it’ll be clean and fun. Remember, the afternoons here get choppy with the seabreeze, so dawn patrol is the move.
We hit a quiet patch mid-week. Sunday and Monday (September 13th and 14th) see the swell dropping way off to tiny waves. The energy is weak. You can get out on a log, but it’s not anything special.
The comeback starts Tuesday morning, September 15th, with a jump back up to a clean 4ft and glassy conditions.
The first real standout is Wednesday morning, September 16th. Dead calm, absolutely glassy, with 4ft of SSW groundswell rolling in at a solid 16 seconds. That’s quality. The lines will be clean and the energy is solid. This is a prime window.
Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th follow the same pattern: clean mornings with manageable swell around 4ft to 3ft. Friday morning’s period is a very long 20 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. At a beach break it can straighten out a bit, but it’ll have plenty of punch and make the paddle out a breeze.
Now for the heavy hitters. Sunday morning, September 20th, is a big one. The combined energy of all swells is pumping. We’ve got a clean 4ft from the SW with a 19-second period and dead calm winds. This is excellent stuff for surfers who know what they’re doing.
Then, Monday morning, September 21st, is potentially the pick of the whole forecast. The swell bumps up to a clean 4ft from the SW, with a 17-second period, and glassy conditions. The energy is strong. This is top-tier Zicatela. Get on it before the afternoon storms fire up.
The rest of that week (September 22nd to 24th) keeps serving up clean morning sessions. It’s a solid run of fun, cross-off and glassy waves, with the swell holding around 4ft to 4ft.
Towards the tail end, on Friday the 25th, the swell drops right back to just 2ft, but the period is a super long 21 seconds. It’ll be small and clean in the morning, but that’s way out in the forecast, so just keep an eye on it.
Crowds are always a possibility at Zicatela, especially on these clean, lined-up mornings. You know the drill – get out there early.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Sun afternoon, min 26°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 803 | 989 | 724 | 536 | 459 | 407 | 288 | 212 | 178 | 184 | 248 | 312 | 366 | 735 | 844 | 771 | 595 | 843 | 600 | 561 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:04AM0.96m | 2:30PM0.95m | 3:04AM1.03m | 3:25PM0.94m | 3:57AM1.09m | 4:15PM0.92m | 4:46AM1.12m | 5:01PM0.90m | 5:31AM1.13m | 5:44PM0.88m | 6:13AM1.12m | 6:25PM0.84m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:53PM0.17m | 8:22AM0.16m | 8:46PM0.13m | 9:25AM0.15m | 9:35PM0.10m | 10:20AM0.13m | 10:20PM0.07m | 11:09AM0.12m | 11:03PM0.06m | 11:55AM0.12m | 11:43PM0.06m | 12:37PM0.13m | 00:22AM0.08m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | 6:34 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 4 | 10 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 10 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 |
Feels °C | 34 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 803 | 989 | 724 | 536 | 459 | 407 | 288 | 212 | 178 | 175 | 132 | 312 | 366 | 735 | 844 | 771 | 595 | 843 | 600 | 561 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | W 9 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | W 4 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SW 13 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 |
| kJ | 91 | 7 | 37 | 96 | 9 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 184 | 248 | 50 | 76 | 74 | 57 | 106 | 175 | 58 | 73 | 52 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | SE 8 | W 9 | SSE 11 | S 8 | WSW 4 | SW 18 | WSW 4 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | W 13 | SW 12 | SSE 8 | SW 11 | SW 24 | SW 23 |
| kJ | 16 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 6 | 154 | 7 | 68 | 127 | 39 | 73 | 118 | 72 | 13 | 72 | 73 | 30 | 87 | 257 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 7 | W 4 | — | WSW 5 | — | — | WSW 6 | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 26 | 9 | — | 7 | — | — | 12 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 178 | 0 | 0 | 192 | 2 | 0 | 192 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 1040 | 0 |
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.
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