El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what El Palito has lined up for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this stretch is looking pretty bleak. We’ve got a long gap with no real surf on offer for most of the period. After a small window this weekend, it’s gonna be a whole lot of nothing for days on end, with only a couple of weak pulses to break the silence.

Okay, for the shred of hope we have: the only real pulse kicks in this Sunday morning, August 16th. We’re looking at a NE swell around 4ft at 10 seconds, which is a nice long period that’ll give the waves a bit of shape. The combined energy is moderate at 227, so there’s some push. And the best part? The wind is glassy, dead calm. That means the surface will be like a mirror. It’s a beach and breakwater setup here, so with that longer period, the lines might be a little straighter, but with no wind, it’ll be clean. The water temp is a balmy 83°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. This is your best bet, no question. It’s a beginner-friendly break and the crowds are sometimes an issue, so on a Sunday morning with clean waves, expect a few folks out.

Sunday afternoon sees the wind swing cross-onshore and pick up, chopping things up. Not worth it.

Then we hit the dead zone. From Monday, August 17th all the way through to Tuesday, August 25th, it’s a wasteland. We get tiny swell readings—0.3ft, 3ft—wrapped in cross-onshore or onshore wind, and most of the time the combined energy is zip (0). The surf reports are all "poor surf conditions." There’s a glassy window on Wednesday morning, August 19th, but with only 2ft of weak, short-period swell (6 seconds) and energy at just 35, it’s barely a ripple.

Finally, there’s a half-hearted pulse on Tuesday the 25th. Another 2ft at 6 seconds, but with cross-onshore winds. The energy is a paltry 43. Nothing to get excited about.

After that, it dries up again completely through the end of the month. A few glassy mornings, but with no swell at all. You’re better off checking for a new forecast in a week or two, because as it stands, the only time to even think about it is this coming Sunday morning, August 16th. Even then, keep your expectations in check.

Rusty.

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