El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the cards for the local stretch.

El Palito is a beach and breakwater setup, a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent. The water temp is sitting at 84° and that’s bang on normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The honest truth is, this 16-day window is a tough one. We’ve got a big old gap of nothing worth paddling out for right from the start. From Tuesday 1st September all the way through to the morning of Thursday 4th September, there’s simply no surf to speak of – just poor conditions and cross-onshore wind. That’s a dead stretch of a few days.

The first real glimmer shows up on the morning of Friday 4th September. We see a tiny 2 ft swell from the NE, with a short period of 6 seconds, coming in with light onshore wind. The combined energy is a weak 32, so it’s not going to be exciting. The cross-onshore wind kicks in again by the afternoon, so it’s a scratchy, choppy mess.

The pattern repeats through the weekend. Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September offer a few knee-high pulses, that 2 ft to 3 ft NE swell, but the wind is never quite right. Sunday morning (6th September) has the best wind of the early period – a light onshore breeze – but the swell is still short-period and weak (58 energy). The afternoons are all cross-onshore, so expect a bumpy, blown-out surface.

The second week doesn’t bring any relief. There’s another long lull from Monday 7th September right through to Friday 11th September with zero rideable surf, just poor conditions and moderate cross-onshore winds.

A tiny bit of life returns on the morning of Saturday 12th September with a 3 ft NE swell, but it’s 7 seconds and cross-onshore (73 energy). The afternoon sees a 3 ft swell but the same cross-onshore wind makes it choppy.

The standout of the entire period, and I mean the only one that even gets close to calling it a surf, is the morning of Sunday 13th September. The wind goes glassy. Zero wind. But there’s no swell. The energy is a big fat zero. So, it’s a flat, glassy morning. You could paddle around, but you won’t be catching a wave. The Monday 14th September morning is also glassy, but again, flat.

The last few days of the forecast, Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th September, see a return of that weak 2 ft to 2 ft NE swell with short 6-second periods. The energy is pitiful (24-36), and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s just not worth the effort.

So, honestly, there’s nothing to get excited about here. No standout days. The best you’ll get is a glassy morning with no swell, or a tiny knee-high wave with a bumpy surface. For a beginner spot, these conditions are just not going to deliver. Most of the time, the wind and chop will make it a frustrating paddle. For the more experienced, this setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer on those choppier afternoons.

It’s a lean run, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, I’d leave the board in the shed.

Rusty.

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