Popotla, Mexico

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Rosarito, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TIJ (TIJ), 30 km.

Watch this spot We email you when Popotla is worth the trip.

About Popotla

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July, October and November, with about 4 good days in 7; in March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Rosarito, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TIJ (TIJ), 30 km. Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Diego International Airport (SAN), direct.
See flights MDW → SAN · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 15 from the airport to Popotla.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Rosarito, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TIJ (TIJ), 30 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Popotla · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Popotla · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Popotla on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Popotla does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Popotla, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	64, good	3 ft14 shollow	402kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore	25°C
Mon 19Oct	69, good	4 ft13 shollow	447kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots	23°C
Tue 20Oct	60, good	4 ft12 shollow	345kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	21°C
Wed 21Oct	53, good	3 ft10 shollow	232kJ	wind from the west, 3 knots	21°C
Thu 22Oct	47, fair	3 ft11 shollow	194kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	20°C
Fri 23Oct	45, fair	4 ft6 shollow	114kJ	wind from the east, 6 knots, offshore	21°C
Sat 24Oct	38, fair	3 ft6 shollow	60kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot	22°C
Sun 25Oct	28, too small	2 ft9 shollow	56kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots	24°C
Mon 26Oct	24, too small	2 ft11 shollow	64kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots	24°C
Tue 27Oct	39, fair	3 ft5 shollow	39kJ	wind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore	25°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 1h 15 by road. About 7h 15 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Popotla
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Popotla
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Popotla
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Popotla
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Popotla
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 1h 15 by road. About 7h 15 door to door

Rough cost

About £535–£1,010 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£215–£445
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£70–£115
Food	7 days eating out	£150–£280
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£535–£1,010

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.