Puerto Escondido (Zicatela) Surf Season
Oaxaca, Mexico · part of the Puerto Escondido (Zicatela) spot guide
Zicatela’s prime window is roughly May through October, with July and August the peak for the biggest days. Two overlapping engines are the season: Southern Ocean and South Pacific groundswell — the dominant, most reliable long-period south energy from the Southern Hemisphere winter — and eastern Pacific tropical and hurricane swell, a finicky shorter-fuse addition from about mid-May through November. Winter is the off season.
The wave is contest-proven at the top of big-wave surfing: the standalone Puerto Escondido Cup and the WSL big-wave events run during that May-to-September south-swell window — the industry’s own vote on when Zicatela maxes.
Where the swell comes from
The dominant engine is Southern Ocean groundswell — long-period south to south-southwest energy from deep Southern Hemisphere winter storms. Eastern Pacific tropical systems off Baja and Mexico overlay finicky shorter-period south-to-southwest spikes on top of that base signal in late summer.
Historic swells at Puerto Escondido (Zicatela)
The biggest in about 20 years
A long-period south-southwest groundswell produced faces around 40 to 50 ft — widely called Puerto’s heaviest day, with Mark Healey paddling into what many call the biggest wave ever paddled there.
An off-peak giant
Mark Healey paddled an XXL day locals called the biggest paddle-in wave ever ridden there — proof the spot can deliver outside the summer peak.
The first WSL big-wave event
The WSL held its first big-wave event at Puerto in historic conditions on a booked south swell.
Puerto Escondido Cup
A strong May-window south swell crowned Billy Kemper and Bianca Valenti at the standalone big-wave contest.