Unseasonably Warm Offshore Pocket Near Puerto Vallarta Holds Tuna-Friendly 74–75°F

A small offshore pocket just outside Banderas Bay held unseasonably warm surface water, with readings around 74–75°F (about 23–24°C) during the Feb 15–19 period, according to multiple Puerto Vallarta charter reports and local fishing outlets. The anomaly was logged repeatedly by area operators between those dates and stood out as a discrete patch of warmer surface water beyond the bay break.

Charter captains operating out of Puerto Vallarta reported the pocket during routine trips between Feb 15 and Feb 19, and local fishing outlets picked up the consistent surface-temperature calls. Reports describe a compact area of warm water rather than a widespread warming of the bay, and the surface measurements clustered tightly in the 74–75°F band rather than varying widely from trip to trip.

That 74–75°F band converts to roughly 23–24°C, a temperature range commonly cited by area anglers as tuna-friendly. The pocket’s persistence across the Feb 15–19 window means it was not a single fleeting blip; several charters crossed or fished along its edge on successive days and recorded similar surface temperatures, signaling a short-lived but stable thermal feature through mid-February.

Operationally, Puerto Vallarta skippers used those readings to adjust running plans during the Feb 15–19 period, with multiple reports indicating time spent working the outer edge of Banderas Bay where the pocket sat. The anomaly’s limited spatial footprint kept runs from shifting dramatically offshore, but it did concentrate interest among boats that reported the 74–75°F surface band on back-to-back days.

As of Feb 19 the pocket had held through the documented window; whether it dissipates or expands after Feb 19 will determine immediate mid-winter fishing patterns out of Puerto Vallarta. For now the measurable fact stands: a small offshore patch outside Banderas Bay registered tuna-friendly 74–75°F during Feb 15–19, and Puerto Vallarta charters noted that concentrated surface warmth repeatedly over that span.