Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Punta de Mita, 12 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: PVR (PVR), 17 km.

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About Puerto Vallarta

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

The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September and October, with about 4 good days in 7; in February, about 2. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Punta de Mita, 12 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: PVR (PVR), 17 km.

Water about 30°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 8 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PVR, direct.
See flights ORD → PVR · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAd
Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Puerto Vallarta.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Punta de Mita, 12 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: PVR (PVR), 17 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Puerto Vallarta · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Puerto Vallarta · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Puerto Vallarta on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Puerto Vallarta, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	66, good	4 ft12 scrumbling	319kJ	wind from the east, 3 knots	28°C
Mon 19Oct	51, good	3 ft6 smushy	78kJ	wind from the west, 3 knots	30°C
Tue 20Oct	36, fair	2 ft11 scrumbling	120kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore	30°C
Wed 21Oct	32, too small	2 ft11 scrumbling	117kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore	31°C
Thu 22Oct	37, fair	2 ft12 scrumbling	119kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot	31°C
Fri 23Oct	29, too small	2 ft12 shollow	83kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore	29°C
Sat 24Oct	22, too small	1 ft11 shollow	49kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots	29°C
Sun 25Oct	33, too small	2 ft11 scrumbling	98kJ	wind from the south-east, 0 knots	28°C
Mon 26Oct	64, good	3 ft10 scrumbling	220kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore	25°C
Tue 27Oct	63, good	4 ft9 scrumbling	229kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore	23°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 ORD to PVR, then 35 min by road. About 8h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Puerto Vallarta
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 2 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to PVR, then 35 min by road. About 8h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £500–£950 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 ORD to PVR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag	£220–£455
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£30–£45
Food	7 days eating out	£150–£280
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£500–£950

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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