Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf fam, Rusty here. Let's talk about the next couple of weeks at Playa El Palmar.

Straight up, it’s a bit of a flat spell on the horizon. We’ve got a good long window with nothing that’s gonna get the heart racing, and our first real look at anything with a bit of push doesn’t show up until the 5th of September. That’s over a week away, so we’re looking at a solid stretch of small, messy stuff before we get anything worth pitching a tent for.

The water temp is sitting pretty at 72°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least a thin suit will do the job.

For the next week or so, the swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, and it’s coming in from the west and northwest. The bigger issue is the wind. It’s almost constantly cross-onshore or onshore, which is making an already small surf look pretty chopped up and junk. There is a little pulse of energy mid-period, around the 24th and 25th, with combined energy values in the low to mid hundreds (151 and 232), but it’s still swallowed by the bad wind. Keep the board in the car, but don't expect much.

Now, the one day that gets me a little excited is Saturday the 29th of August. The wind finally swings around to the east, blowing offshore and clean. The swell is only 2ft and weak (34 energy), but it’s clean, and clean is a win. It’s not going to be big, but if you just want to get wet and have a few fun ones, that’s your window. The 30th looks small and clean in the morning too, but it’s even weaker.

The rest of the run up to the 5th is more of the same – small, weak, and wind-blown. There’s some energy on the 31st and 1st (energy in the 60s and 70s) with 4ft swells, but the wind is back on it, making it a messy option at best.

Finally, on Saturday the 5th of September, we see the most promising pulse. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the WNW, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 112. But here’s the catch – the wind is onshore, and the period is a short 6 seconds. This means it’s going to be a choppy, wind-blown mess. It’s not for the faint of heart, and for a sandbar like El Palmar, this set-up looks more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers to be honest.

So, to sum it up: the near-term forecast is poor, the long-range is promising but uncertain. The standout, if you can call it that, is the glassy morning of the 29th for a clean, small-wave session. Mark the 5th as a “keep an eye on it” day, but don’t book the day off work just yet.

Hang loose,

Rusty

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