LA PAZ · OCTOBER · BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
By October in La Paz the rain has mostly gone. Precipitation drops from September’s 3.20 inches to 0.68 inches, the average afternoon high eases from 96.6°F to 93.2°F, and the sea stays warm enough for long swims. Afternoons are still hot, since 93.2°F is an average and some days run higher.
The other change is on the water. The 2026-2027 whale shark season in the Bahia de La Paz refuge opens on October 1, 2026 and runs to April 30, 2027. September falls before the opening, and November brings cooler air and a cooler sea.
OCTOBER AT A GLANCE · LA PAZ
October in La Paz brings little rain, a warm sea and the opening of whale shark season on October 1, at the price of 93.2°F afternoons.
HIGHS 93.2°F · SEA 85.6°F · 1.8 RAIN DAYS · WHALE SHARK SEASON FROM OCT 1
Go for: a sea still at 85.6°F, only 0.68 inches of rain and the start of the whale shark season.
Think twice before: booking for cool weather. Nights stay at 70.2°F and afternoons at 93.2°F, while November’s highs run 7.6 degrees lower.
Air: SMN station 03074 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Whale sharks: SEMARNAT · full sources at the end
On this page
- La Paz weather in OctoberHighs of 93.2°F, lows of 70.2°F and 1.8 rain days
- Can you swim in La Paz in October?The 85.6°F sea and what it means for a swim
- How busy is La Paz in October?Lodging tax at 4%, ferry times and booking
- Things to do in La Paz in OctoberWhale shark season from October 1 and Isla Espiritu Santo
- La Paz itinerary for OctoberTwo days built around a 6:18 a.m. sunrise
- October vs September and November in La PazAir, rain and sea for the three months
- Is October a good time to visit La Paz?The verdict and the month to pick instead
Every figure here is an average, not a forecast for a given week. The air numbers are 1991-2020 normals from Mexico’s national weather service, and the sea figure is a separate 2015-2024 average from a marine data service. For neighborhoods, hotels and getting around, start with our La Paz guide. To compare La Paz with other places in the same month, use our month-by-month destination guides.
La Paz weather in October
| Measure | October average | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 93.2°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Average low | 70.2°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Precipitation | 0.68 inches | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Days with measurable rain | 1.8 | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Daylight on Oct 15 | 11 h 38 min | sunrise-sunset.org |
October’s normals for La Paz, 1991-2020, come from Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, part of CONAGUA) and were measured at its own station, number 03074, in town. That thermometer describes the malecon and the bay. The average high is 93.2°F, the average low 70.2°F and the precipitation 0.68 inches. An island beach or a boat offshore has no station of its own.
The SMN counts 1.8 days of measurable rain in an average October, fewer than two in the whole month. Its station sheet does not publish the rainfall threshold behind that count, so it cannot be lined up against U.S. rain-day tallies. A monthly average gives no dates, so any given week can still catch the wet days.
Between the 93.2°F afternoon high and the 70.2°F overnight low there are 23.0 degrees, a wide daily swing. Pack for the afternoon: light fabrics, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Add one thin long-sleeve layer for early boat departures and for air-conditioned restaurants.
On October 15 daylight lasts about 11 hours 38 minutes, with sunrise at 6:18 a.m. and sunset at 5:55 p.m. local time (13:18 and 00:55 UTC, converted to America/Mazatlan). Evening plans start in daylight and finish in the dark, so book any return boat with sunset in mind and ask the operator for the last departure.
Can you swim in La Paz in October? Sea temperature
Sea surface off La Paz averages 85.6°F in October (Open-Meteo Marine API, mean of 2015-2024). That figure is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade above a 24-hour average. Other tables may show a lower number for the same water, and both can be correct.
At 85.6°F the water is warm enough to enter without bracing. Against a 93.2°F afternoon, a swim cools you less than it would in a cooler sea, so shade and drinking water on the boat count as much as the swim itself.
We hold no wind, swell or underwater visibility reading for the bay in October, so we cannot say how flat or clear it will be on a given morning. Ask the boat operator the day before, and ask again at the dock.
How busy is La Paz in October? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series or monthly hotel rates for La Paz, so we place October nowhere on the year’s price curve and call it neither cheap nor dear. September’s 3.20 inches and 6.3 rain days are behind you by October, the whale shark season opens on October 1, and La Paz International (LAP) recorded 1,337,600 passengers in 2025, a yearly total we cannot split by month.
We also found no verified lead time for October boat days or hotels, so we give no number of weeks. The one fixed date is October 1, 2026, when the 2026-2027 swim season begins. If you are crossing from the mainland by sea, Baja Ferries runs the La Paz-Topolobampo route Monday through Friday with check-in at 12:00, departure at 13:30 and arrival at 20:30. The Saturday sailing checks in at 21:30, departs at 23:00 and arrives at 08:00 the next morning.
Baja California Sur’s lodging tax, the Impuesto sobre la Prestacion de Servicios de Hospedaje, is 4% in 2026 under article 13 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda, and a 2026 rate table confirms the figure. We could not verify whether the room rates hotels display already include it, so check the total on the confirmation before you compare two properties.
The one spend that changes what October gives you is a boat day, for the whale shark swim in the refuge or for Isla Espiritu Santo, since both depend on the water. We found no October price for either, so we quote none. Ask each operator for the total with fees included and for the cost of a cancellation.
Things to do in La Paz in October
October is the first month of the 2026-2027 whale shark season in the Bahia de La Paz refuge. SEMARNAT, Mexico’s environment ministry, published the season notice on September 17, 2026: the season runs from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, under a federal management plan covering three seasons between 2026 and 2029. We hold no sighting data for October, and no dates for the two later seasons.
Isla Espiritu Santo, in the Bay of La Paz, has been a national park since 2007 and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California” since 2005. The whale shark refuge lies in the same bay. We could not verify an entry fee or a day-trip price for either, so we quote none.
Boat mornings in October run on a sea of 85.6°F under air still climbing toward its 93.2°F average high. The station that supplies the air figure sits in town and nobody in our sources measured the island itself, so carry water and sun cover for the whole outing.
We hold no verified list of free entries in La Paz for October. A walk along the malecon needs no ticket, and on October 15 the sun sets there at 5:55 p.m., which makes the last hour of daylight the easiest free plan of the day.
La Paz itinerary for October
Day one, the water. First light comes at 6:18 a.m. on October 15, so leave the dock early, when the air sits near the 70.2°F average low, and be back ashore before the afternoon climbs toward 93.2°F. Spend midday indoors, then walk the malecon for the 5:55 p.m. sunset.
Day two, the other half. If day one was the whale shark swim, give day two to Isla Espiritu Santo, or the reverse. Rain seldom forces a swap with 1.8 days in the whole month, but wind on the water can, so keep one spare morning. A long weekend covers both days.
La Paz in October vs September and November
| Measure | September | October | November |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 96.6°F | 93.2°F | 85.6°F |
| Average low | 76.5°F | 70.2°F | 63.0°F |
| Precipitation | 3.20 inches | 0.68 inches | 0.24 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 6.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Sea surface (marine API, daily maxima) | 87.1°F | 85.6°F | 79.8°F |
Between September and October the average high falls 3.4 degrees and the low 6.3 degrees, while rain drops from 3.20 inches over 6.3 days to 0.68 inches over 1.8 days. The step into November is larger: the high loses another 7.6 degrees and the low 7.2 degrees, with 0.24 inches over 1.2 days. The sea reads 87.1°F, 85.6°F and 79.8°F across the three months, all from the marine API, while the air figures come from SMN station 03074.
Moving four weeks earlier, to September, buys the warmest sea at 87.1°F and costs the dry weather, with 3.20 inches of rain, plus the whale shark season, which opens on October 1, 2026. Moving four weeks later, to November, buys a high of 85.6°F, a low of 63.0°F and 0.24 inches of rain, and costs 5.8 degrees of sea warmth. We hold season dates only for 2026-2027, so for later years check the dates before you book.
Is October a good time to visit La Paz?
Mostly yes. October offers 0.68 inches of rain, 1.8 rain days, an 85.6°F sea and the first days of the whale shark season. It suits travelers who want water and dry weather and can live with 93.2°F afternoons. It fits poorly for anyone who wants cool air, because nights hold at 70.2°F.
For cooler days, pick November: a high of 85.6°F, a low of 63.0°F and only 0.24 inches of rain, with the sea still at 79.8°F and the whale shark season open until April 30, 2027.
October holds the sea at 85.6°F while the rain has already fallen to 0.68 inches. September has the warmer sea but far more rain, and November has less rain but a sea 5.8 degrees cooler.
The last word
Choose October for the warm bay and the start of the swim season on October 1, and November for 63.0°F nights and 85.6°F afternoons. Before you book, read the U.S. State Department advisory, which lists Baja California Sur at Level 2, exercise increased caution due to terrorism and crime, with no specific restrictions on U.S. government employees in the state (reissued May 29, 2026). Then book the flight into La Paz International, airport code LAP, and pack the sunscreen.
Sources & data for this guide
- Air normals (high, low, precipitation, rain days), 1991-2020, station 03074 La Paz (Dge) · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA) · checked Sep 30, 2026. The SMN sheet does not publish its rain-day threshold.
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Sunrise, sunset and daylight on October 15, converted to America/Mazatlan · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
- September and November air normals (same SMN station and period) and sea temperatures (same marine API) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Whale shark refuge season 2026-2027 · SEMARNAT notice of Sept 17, 2026, gob.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Isla Espiritu Santo national park and UNESCO status · CONANP and UNESCO, corroborated by El Sol de Mexico, Aug 10, 2024 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport traffic, 2025 · Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, aeropuertosgap.com.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- La Paz-Topolobampo ferry schedule · Baja Ferries, bajaferries.com.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Baja California Sur, art. 13, confirmed against El Contribuyente’s 2026 table · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory reissued May 29, 2026 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We found no occupancy series, hotel rate series, tour prices or wind and swell data for October, so none are quoted. Schedules and prices change · check with operators when you book.