Los Cabos Billfish TournamentMarine Weather — Cabo San Lucas
The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament 2026 runs Oct 8–10, 2026 out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Here is the zone-by-zone conditions outlook in the lead-up to tournament week.
Tournament Location
Three fishing days, three very different pieces of water — the harbour mouth at Land's End, the inshore-of-the-banks run, and the seamounts themselves. This page reads all three separately rather than giving one number for "Cabo". The live day-by-day GO / CAUTION / NO-GO cards are up top; here is the map, the context, and the latest one-line outlook for each zone.
San Jaime Bank
OffshoreSan Jaime Bank — the outer seamount off the Pacific side of the cape, roughly 30 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas and the furthest run of the tournament. Pan and zoom the chart, and switch layers to read the water.
Cabo San Lucas
22.870, -109.900
The harbour mouth at Land's End, where every boat starts and finishes and where the weigh-in scale waits at IGY Marina. The Pacific and the Sea of Cortez meet right here, so it can be glassy on one side of the point and lumpy on the other.
Rough 6 ft+ swell Mon-Tue; conditions ease nicely by Wednesday
Monday and Tuesday feature persistently large 6-plus foot south/SSW swell at 9-second periods that keeps seas rough for most of both days despite light winds, making both days unsafe overall for recreational vessels. Wednesday brings a big improvement as swell drops to around 4 feet and winds stay light out of the north, giving good conditions all day. Model confidence is high for Monday and Tuesday, though wave period guidance diverges on Wednesday afternoon/evening without affecting the overall favorable picture.
Cabo San Lucas — Monday, Aug 24 · NO-GO
Monday is a NO-GO due to persistent rough seas from a 6.1-6.4 foot south swell at 9-10 second periods that dominates nearly the entire day, even though winds stay light and favorable (3-10 knots, shifting WSW to SE). Only a brief window from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM sees waves ease to caution-level around 6.1 feet, but this isn't enough to offset the otherwise rough conditions. With steep, energetic swell running most of the day, this is not a safe day for recreational boating.
Cabo San Lucas — Tuesday, Aug 25 · NO-GO
Tuesday remains a NO-GO as seas stay in the rough-to-caution range for most of the day, with 4.6-6.3 foot SSW swell at 9 second periods combining with building southwest winds up to 11 knots gusting to 19 knots overnight and into the morning. Winds stay manageable throughout, but the swell energy keeps conditions choppy and uncomfortable for the bulk of the day, only easing to good wave conditions briefly from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Confidence is high (95%) that this pattern holds, so plan to sit this day out.
Cabo San Lucas — Wednesday, Aug 26 · GO
Wednesday is a GO with a big improvement in sea state as swell drops to a manageable 3.7-4.5 foot SSW swell at 8-9 second periods, paired with light winds from 2-9 knots shifting from north to southeast through the day. Conditions are good around the clock, with the calmest window in the morning (midnight to noon) when winds stay under 6 knots and seas sit near 4.0-4.5 feet. Note that wave period guidance shows some model disagreement later in the day, but overall this is a comfortable, favorable day for boating.
Golden Gate Bank
22.980, -110.180
The nearer seamount, roughly 20 miles west up the Pacific side. Upwelling over the structure stacks bait and holds striped marlin and tuna — often the call when the outside forecast is marginal.
Large swell makes for a rough, unsafe boating stretch this week
Winds stay light out of the northwest all three days, but a substantial south-to-southwest swell dominates the sea state, pushing waves well above safe thresholds on Monday and Tuesday. Conditions gradually ease by Wednesday as swell height drops and organizes into a longer period, opening a workable afternoon window.
Golden Gate Bank — Monday, Aug 24 · NO-GO
Monday is a NO-GO due to a large, persistent south swell running 6.2 to 6.6 feet at 9-10 second periods all day long, despite very light 1-7 knot winds out of the north and northwest through northwest to southwest. While the period is long enough to be organized rather than choppy, the sheer height of this swell creates unsafe conditions for recreational vessels throughout the entire day. There is no safe window on Monday - conditions do not improve at any point.
Golden Gate Bank — Tuesday, Aug 25 · NO-GO
Tuesday remains a NO-GO with a substantial SSW swell holding between 5.2 and 6.6 feet at 9-second periods for the full day, easing only slightly to caution levels by late morning into the afternoon and evening. Winds stay light and manageable at 3-8 knots from the northwest, but the wave heights alone keep this an unsafe day for recreational boating from midnight through the morning hours, with only marginal improvement to a borderline caution state by 11:00 AM onward. Model confidence is high, so this large swell pattern is a firm feature of the day rather than uncertainty-driven.
Golden Gate Bank — Wednesday, Aug 26 · CAUTION
Wednesday improves to a CAUTION day as the SW swell finally drops into a more moderate 4.3 to 5.2 feet range at 8-second periods, with light 2-7 knot north-to-northwest winds throughout. The overnight and early morning hours (12:00 AM-10:00 AM) still carry caution-level seas near 4.9-5.2 feet, but conditions ease from around 11:00 AM onward as waves settle into the mid-4 feet range. Note that wave period forecasts show significant model disagreement for Wednesday, so mariners should treat the sea-state ranges as somewhat uncertain and check updated forecasts closer to departure; exercise caution and pick your timing carefully rather than treating this as a fully clear day.
San Jaime Bank
22.720, -110.220
The outer bank, roughly 30 miles southwest and the furthest committed run of the tournament. Fully exposed Pacific water, so weight swell period as heavily as height before committing a fishing day to it.
Big swell dominates all three days - unsafe through Tuesday
A large, long-period south swell holding near 5-7 feet keeps conditions unsafe for recreational boating Monday and most of Tuesday, easing gradually by Wednesday afternoon. Winds stay light to moderate throughout (under 15 knots), so wave height and steepness - not wind - are the limiting factor this period.
San Jaime Bank — Monday, Aug 24 · NO-GO
Monday is a NO-GO all day - despite very light 2-9 knots SSW-to-variable winds, a persistent 6.6-7.0 feet south swell at 9-10 second periods keeps seas dangerously large and rated bad for all 24 hours. Even though the long period suggests organized swell rather than chop, wave heights approaching 7 feet are simply too big and powerful for recreational vessels regardless of wind conditions. Confidence is high (95%) that this swell holds steady through the entire day, so there is no safe window to launch.
San Jaime Bank — Tuesday, Aug 25 · NO-GO
Tuesday remains a NO-GO. Through midday, a 6.2-6.9 feet SSW swell at 9-second periods keeps waves in the bad category even as winds stay light, building from 5 knots WNW to around 11 knots NW-NNW by afternoon. From 1:00 PM onward the swell eases to 5.4-6.0 feet but a confused cross-sea develops as NNW wind-waves cross the SSW swell, producing awkward, uncomfortable motion with no comfortable heading - conditions improve only to caution level, not good. Winds climb into the 12-14 knots NNW range with gusts to 18 knots during the afternoon peak, adding to the choppiness on top of the swell.
San Jaime Bank — Wednesday, Aug 26 · CAUTION
Wednesday is a CAUTION day with improving but still awkward seas. Through the morning and early afternoon (12:00 AM-2:00 PM) a 4.8-5.2 feet SW swell at 8-second periods combines with NW-to-NNW wind-waves, creating a mildly confused sea state that keeps waves at caution level even though winds are a manageable 9-11 knots. By 3:00 PM the sea organizes and drops into the good category, settling to 4.5-4.9 feet SW at 8-second periods with light 9-11 knots NW winds continuing into the evening. Model agreement on wave period is low for this day (20% confidence), so treat the afternoon improvement as likely but not certain, and use caution even during the better window.
The AI fishing report for the Cabo banks
Weather tells you whether you can go. DeepCast reads the SST breaks, chlorophyll edges, and bottom structure for the exact waters the fleet fishes — inshore, midshore, and offshore — and turns them into a plain-English fishing report, the same AI reports built into the SeaLegs AI app.
Get the AI-powered fishing reportAbout the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament
- DatesOct 8–10, 2026
- Host portCabo San Lucas, Mexico — IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas (weigh-ins) and Playa Grande Resort (registration and awards)
- The runOut of Cabo San Lucas to the Pacific banks — Golden Gate (~20 mi W) and San Jaime (~30 mi SW)
- Target speciesblue, black and striped marlin, plus yellowfin tuna, dorado and wahoo
The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament is the event that opens the Cabo big-game season — now in its 28th year, fished out of Cabo San Lucas with weigh-ins at IGY Marina and registration and awards at the Playa Grande Resort. It runs the week before Bisbee's Los Cabos Offshore and two weeks before the Black & Blue, so it is the first read on how the season's water is setting up.
Boats fish blue, black and striped marlin alongside a gamefish jackpot for yellowfin tuna, dorado and wahoo, working out from Land's End to the Pacific seamounts — the Golden Gate and San Jaime banks. Because those grounds sit at very different distances and exposures, this page reads conditions across three zones at once, each with a plain GO, CAUTION, or NO-GO call, updated every morning from the latest marine model data — the same AI rating used in the SeaLegs AI app.
Reading the run from Land's End to the banks
Cabo sits at a meeting point, and that is the whole reason a single "Cabo forecast" misleads. Round Land's End and you cross from the sheltered Sea of Cortez side into open Pacific water — a morning that is flat in the bay can be a stiff, lumpy ride once you turn up the Pacific side toward the banks. Golden Gate at roughly 20 miles is the shorter, more forgiving run; San Jaime at roughly 30 miles southwest is fully exposed and is where a marginal day actually bites.
October is peak season but it is also the tail of the hurricane and tropical-storm season in the eastern Pacific, and a distant system can put a long southerly swell on the banks under a clear sky and a light breeze. That is why swell period matters as much as height here — a long-period groundswell rides very differently from short wind chop at the same reading, and it is the one that turns a 30-mile run home into a long afternoon. With only three fishing days, picking which day to commit to the outer bank is the real decision this board is built to support. It is a planning aid, not a substitute for the official marine forecast and warnings — always check those before you leave the dock.
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament forecast FAQ
What are the marine conditions at the Los Cabos offshore grounds today?
As of Aug 24, 2026: Cabo San Lucas / Land's End — NO-GO; Golden Gate Bank — NO-GO; San Jaime Bank — NO-GO. Every rating is rebuilt each morning from the latest marine model data.
When and where is the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament?
The 2026 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament fishes October 8, 9 and 10 out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Registration, the kickoff party and the captains meeting are the evening of October 7 at the Playa Grande Resort, weigh-ins are held daily at IGY Marina, and the awards banquet is October 11.
What species does the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament target?
Billfish are the headline — blue, black and striped marlin — with separate categories for most billfish releases and for the largest fish. There is also a gamefish jackpot covering yellowfin tuna, dorado and wahoo, so a boat that does not find a marlin can still weigh in.
Where does the fleet fish out of Cabo San Lucas?
Primarily the Pacific seamounts off the cape — Golden Gate Bank roughly 20 miles west and San Jaime Bank roughly 30 miles southwest. Both are upwelling structures that concentrate bait, which is why this page reads them separately from the harbour mouth at Land's End.
How does this tournament fit the rest of the Cabo season?
It opens it. The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament runs first, followed by Bisbee's Los Cabos Offshore in mid-October and Bisbee's Black & Blue from October 19 to 24, with the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot in early November. Conditions in early October are the first real read on how the season's water is setting up.
How often is this forecast updated?
The three-zone board is rebuilt every morning from the latest marine model data, and each SpotCast card refreshes live in your browser. The date stamp above the outlook shows exactly when it was last generated.
What do GO, CAUTION, and NO-GO mean?
GO means conditions are favorable for most recreational offshore boats. CAUTION means marginal — manageable for experienced crews in capable vessels, but check the wind, swell period, and timing closely. NO-GO means conditions are hazardous for small craft and the trip is best postponed.
Can I get a forecast and fishing report for my own numbers off Cabo?
Yes. In the free SeaLegs AI app you can drop a pin on any spot on Earth — your own bank numbers, the inshore drop, or the harbour mouth — and get the same AI-rated marine forecast, trip planning, and DeepCast AI fishing reports with SST breaks, chlorophyll edges, and structure.
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