Sayulita surf forecast
Sayulita Right is the reef break in front of town, and it works for all levels when the swell comes from the south to north-west. The water stays warm all year, and the bay has three distinct breaks.
Sayulita surf report, hour by hour
This table is our forecast for Sayulita Right, the main break in front of town. It shows the swell, the wind and the tide for each hour, so you can choose a session window. The break likes a mid tide and an east wind, which blows offshore here.
Updated 01:58next run 06:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
11:00–12:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Worth it 11-12, clean head-high, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 11:00–12:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 05:52
- Low
- 11:45
- High
- 17:23
- Low
- 23:48
- Sunrise
- 07:05
- Sunset
- 18:25
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Skip: average, head-high, glassy.
Tide and daylight
- High
- 06:12
- Low
- 12:19
- High
- 18:19
- Sunrise
- 07:05
- Sunset
- 18:24
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Skip: average, head-high, glassy.
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 00:23
- High
- 06:30
- Low
- 12:55
- High
- 19:02
- Sunrise
- 07:06
- Sunset
- 18:24
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Marginal 07-11: average, head-high, offshore NE.
Best window: 07:00–11:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 00:48
- High
- 06:53
- Low
- 13:25
- High
- 19:40
- Sunrise
- 07:06
- Sunset
- 18:24
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Sayulita (20.867, -105.455). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind column first. An east wind is offshore at Sayulita Right, and it cleans up the faces.
Surf spots in and around Sayulita
Sayulita has three main breaks in the bay. They are not the best-quality waves around, but you can move from mellow beach breaks to reefs without leaving town. More than 15 breaks lie within reach along the Riviera Nayarit.
Sayulita Right (main break)
Reef breakAll levelsThis is the reef in front of town that our forecast covers. It faces west and works best at mid tide with waves of 0.8 to 1.8 m.
It gets very crowded, and you share it with surf schools, rocks and boat traffic. On swell days the main break can get powerful. Sources: sayulitalife.com
Beginner break by the fishing boats
Sandy bottomBeginnersThe beginner area in front of the fishing boats has a sandy bottom and long, gentle waves. The water is shallow, and you can often touch the bottom.
Soft-top boards and the sandy bottom make the beginner zone very forgiving. Sources: sayulitalife.com
Punta Sayulita
Left reefBeach and reefPunta Sayulita is an exposed beach and reef break with a left-hand reef. It works best with a west-southwest groundswell and an east wind.
It is sometimes crowded, and submerged rocks are a hazard. Sources: surf-forecast.com
La Lancha
Day tripNearby breakLa Lancha is one of the nearby breaks. Surf camps often organise transfers there from Sayulita. Sources: surf-forecast.com · thesurfatlas.com
Punta de Mita
A-framesDay tripSchools and tours can take you south to Punta de Mita for A-frame peaks. Sources: thesurfatlas.com
San Pancho
Fast wavesChallengingNorth of town, San Pancho offers fast, challenging rides. Tours also head north to Chacala. Sources: thesurfatlas.com
What Sayulita needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to north-west swells
The break faces west and takes swell from the south round to the north-west.
Wind
East wind is offshore
An east wind blows offshore at Sayulita Right. The break faces west, so westerly winds blow onshore.
Tide
Mid tide works best
Our forecast marks mid tide as the best stage for this reef.
Size
Best at 0.8–1.8 m
The break is ideal between 0.8 and 1.8 m and too small below about 0.5 m. Above 2.5 m our forecast rates it too big.
Shortcut: look for a 0.8–1.8 m south-to-north-west swell, an east wind and mid tide.
The best months to surf Sayulita
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Sayulita's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Jun–AugMost good days
June has the highest share of good days, at 60%. July and August hold at 48%.
Mar–MayBuilding, with the best peaks
Good days rise from 39% in March to 58% in May. May also has the most top-rated days, at 35%.
Sep–DecMixed, but warm
Good days fall to 23–30% in our model. Another forecast site rates October as the cleanest month at nearby Punta Sayulita.
Jan–FebQuietest stretch
Only 10% of January days and 18% of February days rate good.
Before you go
Hazards
The main break has rocks, surf schools and boat traffic, and it gets very crowded.
Conditions change from day to day, and a beginner-friendly bay is not risk-free. Sources: sayulitalife.com
Getting there
The nearest airport is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 30 km away in a straight line. Tepic Airport is about 88 km away.
From PVR you can book a private transfer for about $190, which takes around an hour. A bus costs about $2 and takes about two hours, and you board it on the main road outside the airport.
Uber runs in Puerto Vallarta but cannot collect you inside the airport. Sources: surf-forecast.com · thesurfatlas.com
Parking and access
Parking is hard on the cobbled lanes of downtown Sayulita. The surf in town is within walking distance, so a hire car is not usually needed.
A hire car costs around $25 a day and is most useful on a longer road trip. Sources: thesurfatlas.com
Crowds and etiquette
The lineup has real etiquette.
It gets busier every year, and peak holidays bring many learners. Sources: sayulitalife.com · thesurfatlas.com
Water temperature and wetsuit
The sea sits around 26–27 °C from December to April. It climbs to 30–32 °C from June to October.
No wetsuit is needed in most conditions. A rash vest helps keep the sun off your skin. Sources: sayulitalife.com · surf-forecast.com
Lessons
Surf schools and instructors are easy to find, and lessons are affordable. Soft-top boards are used in the beginner zone. Sources: sayulitalife.com
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Sayulita. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Mexico, so 4 stars at Sayulita is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Sayulita surf questions
Is Sayulita good for beginners?
Yes, the sandy area in front of the fishing boats has gentle waves and shallow water. The main break can get powerful on swell days.
When is the best time to surf Sayulita?
From May to August, 48–60% of days rate good in our model, with June the highest at 60%. January is the quietest month, at 10%.
How cold is the water in Sayulita in December?
It is warm, at about 26.9 °C. No wetsuit is needed in most conditions.
Do I need a wetsuit in Sayulita?
No, the water is warm all year, and most conditions need no wetsuit. A rash vest is useful against the sun.
What wind and tide suit Sayulita Right?
An east wind is offshore here, and mid tide works best. Waves of 0.8 to 1.8 m are the sweet spot.
How do I get from Puerto Vallarta Airport to Sayulita?
A private transfer takes around an hour, and a bus takes about two hours. To catch the bus, walk out to the main road outside the airport.
Check the Sayulita surf report before you paddle out
Look at the hourly table for an east wind, mid tide and a 0.8–1.8 m swell, then pick your window. Kiwi will see you in the warm water.