El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather round, crew. Ol’ Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your local patch. I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak. There’s a whole lot of nothin’ on the horizon. We’ve got a long gap of flat, messy conditions stretching from now all the way through to the morning of the 22nd of July. That’s a solid few days with no real surf to speak of.

The only spot we’ve got to work with here is El Palito, a beach and breakwater setup that’s pretty exposed to the north-northeast. The water temp is sitting at 82° right now, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first tiny flicker of hope shows up on the morning of Wednesday the 22nd. We’ll see a weak little 3ft pulse from the northeast, with a short period of 6 seconds. The wave energy is puny, clocking in at just 74. It’s a cross-onshore wind from the north-northwest, so it’s not going to be pretty. The forecast says “poor surf conditions,” and I’m not going to argue with that. Honestly, it’s more of a wind-swell bump than anything you’d paddle out for.

Then we hit another dead zone. Nothing worthwhile on the 23rd or 24th. The next chance comes on the morning of Saturday the 25th. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the northeast, still a short 6-second period, and the energy is even weaker at 54. The wind is glassy, though – a light north-northeast breeze, so the surface will be clean. The catch? It’s still labeled “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s small, weak, and the breaks are inconsistent. For a beginner, it might be a fun little splash, but don’t expect any real punch.

After that, the 26th and 27th have some clean-ish windows with cross-offshore winds, but the swell is either absent or a pathetic 2ft. It’s a ghost town out there.

The only other blip on the radar is the morning of Saturday the 1st of August. Another 3ft, 7-second swell from the northeast with 63 energy and light offshore winds. Same story – small, weak, and the forecast still says “poor surf conditions.”

If you’re desperate for a paddle, the 25th morning is your best bet for the cleanest water, but keep your expectations on the floor. This setup, with the weak swell and cross-onshore winds, honestly looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer on most days. The breaks are too inconsistent to get excited about. It’s a tough run, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but for now, don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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