El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, it’s Rusty here. Let’s talk about the surf window for El Palito.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days look pretty bleak for any kind of paddle surfing. There’s a long dry spell from the start of the forecast through to the end. We’re looking at a gap of at least a week and a half with no real surf to speak of. The first days are a write-off: Saturday 1 August through to Monday 3 August morning show nothing but flat conditions or poor surf. The energy is zero, and the wind is useless for the most part.

The first tiny flicker of life shows up on Monday 3 August in the morning, but it’s not worth getting excited about. A small 3 ft swell from the NE with a short period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of only 60 (weak). The wind is offshore from the NNE at 6 mph, but the wave quality is still rated as poor. That’s not a recommendation, that’s a tease.

We see a similar pattern on Sunday 9 August morning and Monday 10 August morning – same 3 ft NE swell, 6-second period, energy around 58-60. Still, the surf is too weak and short-period to do anything with. The wind is light offshore, but it’s not enough to turn this into rideable waves.

The best of a bad bunch shows up on the morning of Wednesday 12 August. We get a 4 ft swell from the NE with an 8-second period and combined energy of 149 (moderate). That’s the biggest swell in the whole window. The wind is offshore from the NNE at 6 mph, which is clean. For a beginner-friendly break like El Palito, this is the only morning that might offer a few crumbly little waves. But it’s still not a standout – the swell is small, the period is short, and the overall quality is poor. If you’re desperate, you could go for a splash, but don’t expect much.

The rest of the period is filled with afternoons ruined by ENE cross-onshore winds, and mornings that are either flat or showing tiny, weak swells. The last few days, from 15 August onward, offer 3 ft swells with 7-second periods and energy in the 60s, but the wind is cross-on or onshore, making it choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year here, nothing special.

Overall, there’s no standout session. The only real suggestion is the morning of Wednesday 12 August – if you’re a beginner wanting to practice in clean but tiny waves, that’s your window. For everyone else, it’s a blank run. This area can go quiet, and this is one of those stretches.

Rusty.

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