El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch for this area. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off for decent surf, with the only flicker of hope comin’ on Wednesday the 16th, and even then it’s barely a whisper. There’s a gap of several days after that with no real surf to speak of, so you’re gonna be waitin’ a long time between sets.

The water temp is sittin’ about 84°, which is 0.9° warmer than usual for the time of year—pretty much average, nothin’ to write home about.

Let’s talk about the one tiny window that might get you wet: Wednesday morning, September 16th at El Palito. The swell is a weak 3ft from the NE, with a short period of 6 seconds. Combined wave energy is weak at 34 (56 on the morning). It’s a beach and breakwater setup, so that short-period swell isn’t gonna have much punch. But the wind is glassy—dead calm, N at 6 mph—which is a major positive. It’ll be clean, but the waves are gonna be small and weak. The crowds are only *sometimes* a problem here, so you might have it to yourself. This is for beginners, and honestlly, it’s more of a practice session than anything excitin’. Not a standout, just the only game in town that day.

From there, it’s pretty much flat or trash until Monday morning, September 28th, when a similar small 3ft NE swell shows up again. That’s 12 days away, so don’t hold your breath—long-range calls are shaky. The wind that morning is light cross-onshore from the NNW, not ideal, but the wave energy is still weak at 64. It’s a long wait for a marginal wave.

The rest of the period is dominated by onshore breezes, cross-on winds, and tiny swells. There’s a couple of days with 0.3ft to 0.7ft waves that are basicallly flat. If you’re lookin’ for a surf, the setup at El Palito looks more interesting for a kite session than paddlin’, especiallly on the afternoons when the wind picks up to 12-15 mph from the ENE.

Stay patient, mates. The blank run is pretty normal for this area when the swell windows are this narrow. Forecasts can change, but right now it’s a long wait for a tiny wave.

Rusty.

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