The Rankings · Oaxaca · October 2026 · 3 min
Oaxaca Beaches: Mazunte and Zipolite, and Why You Watch the Water at Both
Two neighbouring beaches on the Oaxaca coast, palm shade and simple restaurants, and currents both sources warn about. One we rate Overrated.
Two of the beaches on our Mexico list are on the Oaxaca coast, both reached from Pochutla. Mazunte is rated Only if you're already there: palm shade, simple beachfront restaurants, and waves and currents that can make swimming tough. Zipolite is rated Overrated, because Wikipedia says its undertow is always strong, and locals call it the Beach of the Dead. The sea at both reached 31.1 °C in August 2025.
| Beach | Rating | From Pochutla | The water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mazunte | Only if you're already there | Taxi about M$60, colectivo M$15, bus M$10 | Waves and currents can make swimming tough |
| Zipolite | Overrated | From the bus turnoff: taxi M$200, shared taxi M$50, colectivo M$20 | Undertow always strong; volunteer lifeguards and flags |
Both sea temperatures from Open-Meteo Marine, 2025. Each beach's page lists its sources.
Neither is a beach to swim at carelessly. At Zipolite a volunteer lifeguard team and a flag system show where and when it is safest; at Mazunte the advice is to watch the conditions, since currents are strong all along this coast. Both are short on cash machines, so bring pesos.
Oaxaca's beaches are warm, cheap and beautiful. The sea has not agreed to any of that.
Asked
- Is it safe to swim at Zipolite?
- People swim there, but Wikipedia says caution is strongly advised: the undertow is always strong and afternoon waves are big. A volunteer lifeguard team and flags show the safest spots.
- How do you get to Mazunte?
- From Pochutla: a special taxi is about M$60, a colectivo truck M$15 a person, a bus M$10.
The beaches in this post
- Playa MazunteONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Playa ZipoliteOVERRATED