🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido (Zicatela)
Mexico · North America · All Mexico spots →
Best directionSW
Wind speed12–20kt
SeasonNov – Mar
Skill levelAdvanced
WaterWaves
Mexico's surf capital, famous for the heavy Zicatela beach break — the same swell-generating wind system that makes it a world-class surf destination also makes it a genuine, if wave-dominated, kite spot for experienced riders.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereAbout 10 minutes from Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM), or 30 minutes via the newer highway to Oaxaca. A car or taxi is required; free parking along unpaved streets and sand flats behind the Zicatela promenade beach bars. The wide beach gives a massive, unobstructed rigging zone.
HazardsZicatela is a world-famous, ultra-powerful beach break with a brutal shorebreak, genuinely dangerous impact zones, and fierce rip currents. True beginners should not launch here at all — deep water starts instantly and a kite malfunction can wash you into a life-threatening surf lineup with no public rescue support.
Best time of dayAfternoon, spring through summer, when solar heating over the coastal mountains triggers a steady WNW thermal sea breeze. Peaks 1-4pm, turning morning surf into a choppy, cross-onshore wind-wave playground for expert riders.