Puerto Vallarta after Rachel: word around the bay

Okay, sit down, because it has been a week. Polo’s swell showed up in late September and local reporting put the Boca de Tomates damage at more than ten ramadas. Then Rachel sent heavy surf over the Malecón, seawater and stones included. If you drove past the waterfront and wondered why everyone looked tired, that is why.

The week on the water

I live on Banderas Bay, so I have had a front-row seat. Walk the beach in Bucerías after a week like this and the quiet is part of the story. That is not ordinary slow season. The Navy closed small-boat navigation at Puerto Vallarta, La Cruz and Nuevo Vallarta while Rachel spun offshore, and her swell reached us anyway.

Up the coast, San Pancho had a hard week too. Local reporting covered damage around La Perla, Olivas and Punta Paraíso, with foundations and beachfront structures exposed by the surf. These are family restaurants and working beach businesses, not scenery, so I am not turning it into a dramatic vacation headline. Recovery is uneven, so check the specific place you want to visit before you assume anything.

Where that leaves the bay

Rachel was not a small system. The National Hurricane Center had Rachel at Category 3 strength on October 1, and by the morning of October 3 it was still warning that Rachel’s swells would affect west-central Mexico through the weekend, with life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions. That is the ocean story behind the red flags.

Puerto Vallarta reopened to small vessels at 8 a.m. on October 3. SEMAR’s port map also shows La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in green, open to all navigation, while Nuevo Vallarta still shows yellow, closed to vessels under 500 UAB. Red flags are still up on the beaches, so swimming gets its own decision. Open water does not mean every route is comfortable or every boat should run the same plan. Punta de Mita is not an automatic all-clear either: Noticias PV reported a rescue there after Polo’s surge on September 26. Different corners settle differently, so the real question is the exact beach, marina, route and hour.

A week like this can look apocalyptic from a clipped video. Around here, early October still belongs to Pacific storm season. Last October, Priscilla brought high surf into Puerto Vallarta, kept red flags on the beaches and put dramatic Malecón videos in everyone’s feed. The bay came back then, and it will settle this time too. The smart move is to read the conditions instead of forcing a plan.

What is being caught?

Right now, nobody has a clean post-storm catch log, and I will not pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is what came before.

A September 28 charter report listed jack crevalle, skipjack and mackerel. Earlier September reports had active fishing for jacks, bonito and Spanish mackerel. Honestly, a jack on light tackle will keep you so busy you forget you ever asked about marlin.

Offshore, the fall lineup is the one everybody dreams about: yellowfin, sailfish, blue and black marlin, and dorado. The pre-storm reports were mixed. Some captains described strong offshore action, while others had tuna coming and going and dorado being unreliable. I am treating that as background. We need fresh word from the crews once the swell settles.

How I would choose the trip

Here is the practical part. Port status tells you whether navigation is allowed. It does not tell you whether your group will enjoy the ride, whether the water is clean where you want to fish, or whether a swim stop makes sense.

Families and first-timers usually do best with a four- to six-hour private charter once the captain likes the nearshore conditions. Tell me who is coming, especially kids or anyone who gets nervous on a boat, and we will keep the ride gentle.

If tuna and billfish are the point, give it the whole day and do not squeeze it into the final morning of the trip. Corbeteña and El Banco take real travel time, and I would rather plan enough hours than have you staring at your watch just as things get interesting.

For a dedicated yellowfin trip, our private tuna expeditions run 2.5, 3.5 or 4.5 days. More time means the crew can work different windows and adjust without turning around that afternoon. Compare the options here: private fishing charters and multi-day tuna expeditions.

Golfers, Vallarta deserves another look

To the players who skipped the Mexico Open last February: I get it. The event landed between the West Coast and Florida swings, an awkward place in a packed calendar. Sports Illustrated counted just four players in the world’s top 40 in the announced field, and the PGA TOUR recorded Maverick McNealy’s subsequent withdrawal. That scheduling story was real. So was Brian Campbell’s first TOUR win in a playoff. The golf delivered.

Now come see what else you missed. The 2026 VidantaWorld Mexico Open has moved to the FedExCup Fall. Tournament week runs October 26 to November 1, with competitive rounds October 29 to November 1 at Vidanta Vallarta in Nuevo Nayarit. It is a 500-point TOUR stop, and this time it sits at the start of a two-week Mexico swing. The final field is still to come; I am not going to promise who will tee it up. But if the old calendar was your reason to pass, consider this a friendly call back to the bay.

For everyone coming to watch, the tournament offers grounds tickets and several hospitality options. Buy the golf ticket from the organizer, then give the rest of the stay some room. Follow a group on the course one day. Take a private boat out another day, with a captain who chooses the route for the conditions. Bring your family or friends, and let us arrange the departure, transfers and time on the water around the golf you came to see. To the players and crews too: if you have a free afternoon, we would love to show you why this coast stays with people long after the final putt.

Then the marlin boats take over

Less than two weeks later, the bay changes rhythm again. The 70th International Marlin and Tuna Fishing Tournament runs November 11 to 14. Registration is Wednesday evening, November 11; fishing is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday. The weigh-ins at the Marina Vallarta boardwalk run from 2 to 6 p.m. on fishing days, with an awards ceremony Saturday evening. Even if you never pick up a rod, the marina is worth a visit when the boats come home and everyone wants to know what happened offshore.

If you want to fish the tournament, start planning now. The club’s rules require registered teams, fishing and navigation permits, and a maximum of four registered anglers per team. Boat, captain, permits and the club’s current requirements all need to line up before anyone can call a trip tournament-ready. Tell us that competition is your goal and we can work through those details with you; entry and eligibility are confirmed with the organizers, not assumed with a charter booking.

You can also come for the atmosphere and make your own fishing day the centerpiece. Go offshore with your group on a separate date, or spend an afternoon aboard one of our private yachts while the tournament has the marina buzzing. There is no need to chase a weigh-in to have the best day of the trip. A good captain, enough time on the water and the right people beside you will do that.

If that is the week you are eyeing, I put the schedule, club rules and trip ideas in our 2026 marlin tournament guide.

Make a stay of it

These are two different travel windows: golf at the end of October, marlin in mid-November. Pick the one that pulls you here, or give yourself the longer stay if you want both. Vallarta ArtWalk returns October 28, and Festival Gourmet Internacional runs November 12 to 22. That gives you a gallery evening during golf week or a dinner worth dressing up for after a marlin day.

My favorite version has one day devoted to the event and another that belongs entirely to your group. We can build that second day around private fishing, a yacht, lunch aboard or a sunset ride home. The boat and departure point should fit where you are staying, and the route should fit the sea on the day. Reserve the dates early; keep the exact water plan flexible.

Tell us what would make the trip

Tell me whether you are coming for golf week, marlin week or both. Send your dates, where you are staying, how many of you there are, and what would make this one you talk about for years. A first fish for your kid? A proper yellowfin expedition with your friends? A yacht afternoon with lunch, drinks and nobody asking you to organize the ride back?

Tripletto arranges private fishing charters, yacht days and the travel around them across Puerto Vallarta and Punta de Mita. We can coordinate hotel or villa transfers, catering and more, with every detail and cost confirmed before you book.

My advice: put your boat day early in the stay and keep a backup date. That gives us room to work with the weather, and the rest of your trip stays easy.