Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. We’ve got a solid run of days ahead, but it ain't gonna be one of those epic stretches. We're looking at a whole lot of small, weak surf for the next couple of weeks, with a few windows that are cleaner than others. The good news? It’s never going to be giant, so if you’re just looking for a splash around and a few cruisy waves, there’s something on the menu. The bad news? There’s nothing that’s going to have you calling in sick for work.

The first real chance to get wet starts Wednesday morning the 9th. Playa El Palmar is a sandbar break that’s fairly consistent and is the place we’ll be talking about. The water temp is running about average for this time of year, so it’s not going to be a shock to the system. We’ve got some waist-high lines around 3ft from the WNW, but the period is short, only 6 seconds, and the wind is a cross-on from the NW. The wave energy is weak, reading only 63, and it’s going to be chopped up. Not great, but it’s a start.

The next few days don't get much better. Thursday the 10th, the swell backs off a bit to 3ft, but the wind turns to a cross-off from the SSE, which cleans things up nicely. The energy drops further to 51, though. It’s surfable, for sure, but you’ll be working for it.

Then Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th, the wind howls from the east at 25 mph or more. The swell just disappears, dropping to 0.5ft and 1ft. The energy readings are in the single digits to low teens, which is basically flat. The waves are clean because of that strong offshore wind, but there’s nothing to ride. It’ll be hard to paddle into anything because the swell is so tiny. This stretch is a right-off.

Monday the 14th, the swell stays tiny at 0.5ft with an offshore wind, but again, it's basically nothing. The energy is a mere 10. We are just holding pattern until things start to change.

Okay, now, here’s where things get interesting. The standout window looks to be Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th. It’s not huge, but it’s the best of what we get. On Friday morning, we get a little bump to 2ft, but the period jumps to 10 seconds and the energy climbs to 52. The wind is a light cross-off from the ESE, and the surf is clean. This is a proper little window. A few more waves show up Friday afternoon, coming in at 3ft with a 7-second period and a clean cross-off. This is looking like the pick of the fortnight. By Saturday the 19th, there’s a bit of swell left, around 2-2ft, with an offshore wind making it clean, but the period drops back to 6 seconds and the energy is only 31. It’s still rideable, but Friday looks like the better day.

The following week goes quiet again. From Sunday the 20th through Wednesday the 24th, we’re looking at tiny surf again, mostly under 2ft with weak energy readings. The winds are mostly light and variable, so there will be some clean moments, but there just isn't any swell to push it.

So, there you have it. The highlight is really that Friday the 18th session. It won’t be big, but it should be clean and fun. The long-range stuff around the 24th shows a pulse of long-period swell coming from the west with a 14-second period and a light offshore wind, but that’s over a week away, so we’ll have to see how it develops. Don't get too excited, but it's something to watch. Keep the hopes up, but don't plan any road trips just yet.

Rusty, out.

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