Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Playa El Palmar over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with ya – it’s a rough stretch. The whole 16-day window is pretty much a write-off for any decent surf. From now all the way through to the end of the month, we’re looking at a real dry spell. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and the wind is nearly always on it or cross-onshore, making a mess of things. The combined energy is weak, mostly sitting under 100 (like 54 or 62), which tells you the ocean just doesn't have any push.

The first few days, from Saturday the 18th right through the weekend, it’s all small, weak windswell. Heights are around 2ft to 3ft, with a short period of 5 to 6 seconds. The wind is mainly from the WNW, blowing straight onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s gonna be choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 20th through to the end of the week looks the same story. The wind swings around a bit, but it’s never clean. The swell stays small, and the wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” There’s a slight bump on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th, with heights reaching 4ft to 5ft, and the energy ticks up a bit (110 to 154), but the wind is still onshore or cross-onshore, so it’ll be a choppy, blown-out mess.

Now, we do get a couple of interesting days right at the very end of the forecast. On Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th of July, the wind finally switches to offshore and cross-offshore from the ESE and SE. That will clean things right up, with reports of “gentle offshore and clean” and “clean” conditions. The problem is, the swell drops right off. We’re looking at tiny 1ft to 2ft waves with weak energy (15 to 26). It’s gonna be glassy and clean, but there’s just no power to ride.

Thursday the 30th of July morning actually looks glassy with a slight bump in swell to 3ft from the W, but the energy is still only 50. It’s the best-looking window for a tiny, clean wave, but it’s only for the real longboarders or those happy to float around.

Then into the first couple of days of August, the offshore winds continue, but the swell is practically non-existent. On Sunday the 2nd of August, the period does stretch out to 9 seconds, but the height is a pathetic 0.5ft – that’s barely a ripple.

So, the bottom line: there’s no standout. There’s nothing to get excited about. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the cleanest conditions will be on the morning of Thursday the 30th of July, but don’t expect much more than a knee-high dribble. The rest of the time, it’s either too windy or too flat. A tough outlook for Playa El Palmar.

Rusty.

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