Best Surf Spots in Mexico: 12 Breaks From Puerto Escondido to Sayulita (2026)

The best surf spots in Mexico are Puerto Escondido, Barra de la Cruz, Sayulita, La Lancha, Troncones, Pascuales, Scorpion Bay, Cerritos and Salina Cruz. Almost all of them are on the Pacific coast, the main season runs April to October on southern hemisphere swell, and the water sits between 25 and 29 degrees for most of the year. Baja California runs on the opposite schedule, with northwest swell from November to March.

Mexico has a reputation as an experts only destination because of Puerto Escondido, and that reputation is misleading. The same coastline that holds the Mexican Pipeline also holds some of the friendliest beginner points in the Americas, often within an hour of each other.

• 1. What are the best surf spots in Mexico?
• 2. Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca
• 3. Sayulita, La Lancha and the Riviera Nayarit
• 4. Troncones, Pascuales and the central Pacific
• 5. Baja California: the winter option
• 6. When is the best time to surf in Mexico?
• 7. Where can beginners surf in Mexico?
• 8. Is it safe to surf in Mexico?
• 9. Surfing in Mexico: locals and the environment
• 10. Summary
• 11. Frequently asked questions

 

What are the best surf spots in Mexico?

This table is for matching a spot to your level. Figures are approximate. Pay attention to the skill column: Mexico's Pacific beach breaks carry far more power than their size suggests, because the swell arrives with no continental shelf to slow it down.

Spot	State	Type	Skill level	Wave size (m)	Best months
Zicatela, Puerto Escondido	Oaxaca	Beach break barrel	Expert only	1.5 to 5.0m	Apr to Oct
La Punta, Puerto Escondido	Oaxaca	Left point	Beginner to intermediate	0.5 to 2.0m	Apr to Oct
Carrizalillo	Oaxaca	Bay	Beginner	0.5 to 1.5m	Year round
Barra de la Cruz	Oaxaca	Right point	Intermediate to advanced	1.0 to 3.0m	Apr to Oct
Salina Cruz points	Oaxaca	Right points	Intermediate to advanced	1.0 to 3.0m	Apr to Oct
Sayulita	Nayarit	Right point	Beginner to intermediate	0.5 to 2.0m	Apr to Oct
La Lancha	Nayarit	Right point	Beginner to intermediate	0.5 to 2.0m	Apr to Oct
Troncones	Guerrero	Beach and points	Intermediate	0.8 to 2.5m	Apr to Oct
Pascuales	Colima	Beach break barrel	Expert only	1.5 to 4.0m	Apr to Oct
Scorpion Bay (San Juanico)	Baja Sur	Long right points	Intermediate	0.8 to 2.5m	Apr to Oct
Cerritos	Baja Sur	Beach break	Beginner to intermediate	0.5 to 2.0m	Nov to Mar
Todos Santos island	Baja Norte	Big wave reef	Expert only	3.0 to 12.0m	Dec to Feb

 

Mexico sits at the top of Central America and the bottom of North America, so it appears in both conversations. For the countries south of it, see our Central America guide.

Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca

Puerto Escondido is two completely different surf destinations sharing one town. Zicatela is the Mexican Pipeline: a heavy, close to shore beach break that produces some of the largest and most dangerous barrels in the world. La Punta, at the southern end of the same beach, is a mellow left point where people learn to surf.

Be blunt with yourself about Zicatela. It is not a wave you work up to over a week. The takeoff is vertical, the sand bottom does not soften anything, the rips are severe and people are seriously injured there every season. If you are not a genuinely experienced barrel surfer, watch it from the beach with a beer, which is a good evening in itself.

La Punta is where most visitors actually surf: a long, slow, sand bottomed left that runs for a hundred metres or more and suits everyone from improvers upwards. Carrizalillo, a small bay reached by 160 steps, is the beginner spot, sheltered and gentle.

An hour and a half east, Barra de la Cruz is one of the best right hand points in the Americas. It hosted a professional event in 2006 and has been a pilgrimage since. It is a community run beach with an access fee, and it deserves the respect that implies. Further east again, the Salina Cruz region has dozens of right point breaks reached by truck, usually through a guide or camp.

Sayulita, La Lancha and the Riviera Nayarit

If Oaxaca is Mexico's advanced coast, Nayarit is its beginner coast. The stretch north of Puerto Vallarta has a run of gentle right hand points breaking into warm, sheltered bays, and it is the easiest introduction to Mexican surfing there is.

Sayulita is the best known: a small town with a right point off the river mouth, surf schools on the sand and a wave that rarely gets threatening. It has become genuinely busy, both in the water and in town, but the wave itself is forgiving.

La Lancha, near Punta de Mita, is the better wave of the two. A longer, cleaner right point reached by a short walk through jungle, with more room in the lineup and a shoulder that runs properly. San Pancho, ten minutes north of Sayulita, is a punchier beach break for when you want something with more bite.

Troncones, Pascuales and the central Pacific

The coast between Nayarit and Oaxaca is where Mexico gets quiet. Troncones, north of Zihuatanejo, has a mix of beach breaks and points including Manzanillo Bay, a long right that works on a bigger swell. It is a small, low key village and one of the better places in Mexico to spend two weeks without seeing a crowd.

Pascuales, in Colima, is the other heavy wave on the Mexican mainland. Like Zicatela it is a barrelling beach break with a lot of power and very little margin, and like Zicatela it is for experts only. It is less crowded than Puerto Escondido, which cuts both ways.

Baja California: the winter option

Baja runs on the opposite schedule to the rest of Mexico, and that is what makes it useful. The peninsula catches northwest swell from November to March, exactly when the mainland Pacific goes quiet.

Area	Season	Water temp (°C)	Skill level	Notes
Ensenada and Baja Norte	Nov to Mar	16 to 20	Intermediate to expert	Cold, powerful, California style
Todos Santos island	Dec to Feb	16 to 18	Expert only	A genuine big wave venue
Scorpion Bay (San Juanico)	Apr to Oct	20 to 26	Intermediate	Several long right points in a row
Todos Santos town / Cerritos	Nov to Mar	20 to 24	Beginner to intermediate	The friendliest Baja option
Los Cabos	Apr to Oct	24 to 29	All levels	Warm, easy, resort infrastructure

 

Cerritos, near Todos Santos in Baja Sur, is the standout for most visitors: a sandy beach break with a gentle inside, surf schools, and water that stays around 20 to 24 degrees through the winter. It is a reasonable European winter option if you are already crossing the Atlantic.

When is the best time to surf in Mexico?

April to October for the mainland Pacific, November to March for Baja. The mainland runs on southern hemisphere swell, which peaks in the northern summer. May through September is the core of it, and it overlaps with hurricane season, which adds swell as well as rain.

Period	Best region	Swell	Water temp (°C)	Verdict
Apr to May	Mainland Pacific	Building	26 to 28	Excellent: good swell, before the heat and rain
Jun to Aug	Mainland Pacific	Peak	27 to 29	The biggest waves, hot and humid
Sep to Oct	Mainland Pacific	Peak, plus hurricane swell	28 to 29	Very consistent, wettest months
Nov to Dec	Baja and Nayarit	Easing on the mainland	25 to 27	Warm, quiet, smaller waves
Jan to Feb	Baja	Northwest swell	20 to 24 Baja Sur	Baja season, mainland is gentle
Mar	Baja and mainland	Transitional	24 to 26	Quiet everywhere, good for learning

 

If your dates are in the northern summer, Mexico is one of the strongest options anywhere. See our May and September guides for how it compares.

Where can beginners surf in Mexico?

Sayulita, La Lancha, Carrizalillo, La Punta and Cerritos are the five beginner spots worth knowing. All five are sand bottomed or gently sloping, all five have surf schools, and all five sit in water warm enough to spend three hours in.

Beginner spot	Region	Season	Wave size	Why it works
Sayulita	Nayarit	Apr to Oct	0.5 to 1.5m	Gentle right point, schools on the beach
La Lancha	Nayarit	Apr to Oct	0.5 to 2.0m	Longer, cleaner and less crowded than Sayulita
Carrizalillo	Oaxaca	Year round	0.5 to 1.5m	Sheltered bay, the safe side of Puerto Escondido
La Punta	Oaxaca	Apr to Oct	0.5 to 2.0m	Long sand bottomed left, great for improvers
Cerritos	Baja Sur	Nov to Mar	0.5 to 2.0m	The winter beginner option

 

The one absolute rule in Mexico is to keep away from Zicatela and Pascuales until you genuinely belong there. Both are heavy, both have hurt experienced surfers, and neither is somewhere to test yourself. If you are learning from scratch, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica are gentler first trips.

Is it safe to surf in Mexico?

The surf towns on the Pacific coast are generally safe for visitors, and the real risks are in the water rather than out of it. Sayulita, Troncones, Puerto Escondido, Todos Santos and the Nayarit coast all see heavy international traffic and are used to surf travellers.

Take the ordinary precautions of any travel: check your government's current advice before booking, since it varies significantly by Mexican state, avoid overnight bus travel in some regions, do not leave valuables on the beach, and use registered taxis or apps rather than flagging cars down.

The water is where people actually get hurt. Mexican Pacific beach breaks have powerful rips and shore break. Zicatela and Pascuales injure experienced surfers every season. Ask locally about rips before your first paddle out at any new beach, and do not surf alone at an empty break.

Surfing in Mexico: locals and the environment

Respect the locals

Mexican surfers are welcoming and the lineups are generally friendly, but the points have a pecking order like anywhere. Barra de la Cruz in particular is community owned and run: pay the access fee without complaint, respect the local rules, and understand that the village's tourism income depends on the wave. A little Spanish transforms the reception you get.

Respect the environment

Many Pacific surf towns have limited waste and wastewater infrastructure, and several beaches are important sea turtle nesting sites. Do not disturb nesting areas or hatchlings, take your rubbish with you, refill water rather than buying endless bottles, and use reef safe sun protection. One solid wash bar instead of three plastic bottles is a small thing in a place that has nowhere to put them.

Summary

Mexico gives you world class right hand points, the heaviest beach break on the planet and some of the gentlest learning waves in the Americas, all on the same Pacific coast. Come April to October for the mainland and November to March for Baja. Surf Sayulita and La Lancha if you are improving, Barra de la Cruz if you are good, and watch Zicatela from the sand unless you are genuinely certain.

Next, compare Mexico with the rest of the region in our Central America guide, or with the whole world in our guide to the best surf destinations in the world.

Frequently asked questions