El Palito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at what’s on offer at El Palito over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, if you’re looking for a proper surf session, you’re gonna be waiting a while. The first few days are a real struggle. We’ve got a tiny bit of swell showing on Saturday morning, July 25th, with a weak 3ft NE windswell, but it’s a 6-second period and the wind is onshore. That’s a recipe for close-outs and blown-out junk. The combined energy is a measly 51, which is basically nothing. Not worth paddling out for.

Sunday, July 26th, is a slight improvement. The swell stays pretty much the same at 3ft from the NE, still a short 6-second period, but the wind turns cross-offshore in the morning and then goes offshore in the afternoon. That’ll clean things up a bit. The energy ticks up to 56-63, so it’s surfable, but very ordinary. You’ll get a few little runners if you’re patient.

Monday morning, July 27th, is actually the best we’ll see for a while. The swell is still small at 3ft from the NE, but the wind goes glassy. That’s the magic word. The combined energy is 58, so it’s weak, but if you’ve got a log or a funboard, that glassy surface will make those tiny waves feel like a million bucks. The afternoon gets cross-onshore and messy again, so make the most of the dawn patrol.

After that, it’s a long dry spell. From Tuesday, July 28th, all the way through to Sunday, August 9th, the forecast is just a sea of zeros. The swell energy drops out completely for days on end, or when it does try to push a little 2ft-3ft wave, it’s either onshore or the conditions are just poor. The wind is a constant cross-onshore ENE breeze, which is no good for the paddle surfer. With this beach and breakwater setup and that wind, it’s looking more like a kite surfer’s playground than a place to get a proper wave face. There’s a couple of glassy mornings in early August, but with no swell to back them up, it’s just a flat, pretty lake.

The water temperature is running about average for the time of year, so nothing to worry about in the wetsuit department.

The best of a bad bunch: If you’re desperate, the glassy morning of Monday, July 27th, is your only real window. It won’t be big, but it’ll be clean. For the rest of it, you’re better off checking the forecast again next week. This is a proper flat spell for El Palito, which is a bit more normal for this area when the swell windows close up.

Rusty.

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