El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for El Palito over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this is a tough stretch. The entire 16-day window is a write-off for any decent surf. There’s nothing on offer that I’d be rushing to paddle out for. The first worthwhile sign doesn’t even show up until the very end of the period, and even then, it’s not great. You’re looking at a long, dry gap from the start of the forecast right through to the second week.

The only break on the radar is El Palito, a beach and breakwater setup. It’s fairly consistent by nature, but the conditions line up against us for the whole run. The combined swell energy is weak, with values sitting between 58 and 89 (moderate wave energy) on the few days there’s any swell at all, but the program keeps flagging poor surf conditions.

For the first few days, from Monday the 3rd of August onwards, there’s almost nothing. A tiny 3 ft NE swell shows up on the Monday morning, with a short period of 6 seconds, but the wind is onshore from the NNE at 6 mph. Not worth getting excited about. Tuesday the 4th of August goes completely flat, though the morning is glassy – no wind, but no waves either. The afternoons turn choppy with a cross-onshore breeze.

The same story repeats through the first week. A few scraps of swell pop up on the 10th of August (3 ft NE, 7 seconds) and the 11th (3 ft NE, 7 seconds), but the waves are poor and the combined energy is still weak (63 and 86). The wind is mainly light onshore from the NNE in the mornings, which is okay but not enough to save the quality. The afternoons are consistently messy with cross-onshore winds.

Into the second week, the 12th of August has a similar 3 ft NE swell at 7 seconds (89 combined energy), but again, it’s flagged as poor surf. Then it all dries up again until the 17th of August, when a tiny 2 ft NE swell tries to show up in the afternoon, and the 18th of August has a 3 ft NE swell at 7 seconds (61 combined energy) with a light cross-onshore breeze. Even then, the conditions are poor.

There is no standout period here. If you’re desperate, the 11th of August morning has the biggest swell of the run at 3 ft, but with a short period and onshore wind, it’s not going to be pretty. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Frankly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the persistent cross-onshore winds and weak, short-period swell. For us surfers, it’s a blank run. The break is inconsistent in terms of quality, and the forecasts are unlikely to change much in the short term. Keep your board in the car and your eyes on the horizon, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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