Mexico · Central America
Create a free profile and let employers in San José del Cabo find you.
Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at San José del Cabo. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical early July.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at San José del Cabo is the week of 30 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Proper groundswell lighting up the lineup. Mid-period swell giving the waves decent shape and push. Moderate wind adding texture to the faces. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives.
Heads up: jellyfish: peak season, and rip risk elevated.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
The air here is 47% cleaner than the average comparison city right now.
Noticeably cleaner air than a typical city. Good conditions for prolonged outdoor activity.
Not a pollutant. Ozone is naturally higher at altitude and near the coast, and lower in cities where traffic exhaust breaks it down. High readings here typically indicate clean air. Can cause short-term airway irritation during intense exercise but is not linked to the long-term health risks of particulate pollution.
Additive health score: each pollutant contributes points relative to its WHO 2021 guideline and long-term health impact (PM2.5 9, NO₂ 5, O₃ 3, PM10 2, SO₂ 1 at WHO limits). Data via Open-Meteo. City markers show live readings. Red line marks the WHO guideline. Updated 21:00
Good water clarity: ~10m visibility
This guide was generated from conditions data. Know this spot? Submit your own tips below.
Costa Azul is the surf hub at the southern tip of Baja California, with Zippers being the primary break. A fast, punchy right-hand point break peeling over volcanic rock shelves and cobblestones, Zippers produces steep, powerful walls that reward aggressive shortboarding. The desert landscape of cacti and arid mountains plunging into warm Pacific waters creates a dramatic setting. The break sits just outside the resort sprawl of Los Cabos, accessible yet retaining its raw wave quality.
Summer and autumn (June-October) deliver the best conditions when long-period southerly groundswells generated in the Southern Hemisphere push up into the Sea of Cortez. Hurricane swells from August to October can produce exceptional size and power. North-westerly winds blow offshore at Zippers, most reliable in the early mornings. Winter brings occasional north-west swells but the primary season is the southern hemisphere summer.
At Zippers, the take-off zone is concentrated where the swell hits the rock shelf at the top of the point. The right peels for 50-100 metres along the rocky bottom with a steep, fast wall. The Rock, slightly further south, offers a longer, mellower ride on bigger swells. Position yourself on the outside of the boil at Zippers and commit to the steep drop immediately.
The rock bottom at Zippers is shallow and uneven, with exposed boulders on the inside at lower tides. Falls near the take-off zone put you onto volcanic rock. Stingrays inhabit the sandy patches between rocks. The crowd at Zippers is intense and the competition for waves is fierce. Strong currents can develop on larger swells.
A dirt car park sits directly above Costa Azul beach, accessed from the highway. The walk to the waterline is short and easy across sand. Several surf shops and restaurants line the road above. The break is visible from the highway, making conditions easy to check before committing.
Zippers is heavily crowded, particularly during peak season. Los Cabos attracts both travelling surfers and a large local community. The take-off zone is concentrated and 20-30 surfers fighting for waves is standard. The local crew is experienced and assertive. Early morning dawn patrol or later afternoon sessions after the midday crowd disperses offer better ratios.
The wave gets hollow and fast on a dropping tide as the rocks become shallower. Time your session for the first two hours of the outgoing tide for maximum power. A standard performance shortboard works well here. If Zippers is too crowded or too powerful, The Rock handles bigger swell with a more forgiving face. The water is warm (24-28C) so board shorts suffice from May through November. Winter mornings can be surprisingly cool with offshore winds, making a springsuit worthwhile.
Surf at San José del Cabo
Your score
Forecast feel
Score this window against what you actually found.
No scored surf reviews in the last 24 hours.
No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.
Record your session, conditions and gear.
Daily scores over the last 12 months at San José del Cabo
Based on historical weekly averages
Conditions at San José del Cabo tend to be best between 06:00 to 09:00 in July.
Average score during this window: 70/100
See timing scores, school holiday busyness, and lift pass pricing to find the best time to book.
View Best Time to Go →Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 31 days of logged conditions.
Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.