Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for Playa El Palmar is a tough one to call a surf outlook. We’re looking at a real flat spell, and honestly, there’s nothing that gets the heart pumping. The whole run is a string of days where the waves just aren’t showing up with any real energy.

The water temperature is sitting at 73°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Let’s start from the beginning. Sunday the 9th of August, we’ve got a weak 2ft swell from the west, with a short period of 6 seconds and the combined energy is a measly 32 – that’s barely a ripple. Onshore wind from the WNW doesn’t help. It’s poor.

Monday the 10th is more of the same, 3ft at best, still poor. Tuesday the 11th morning, the wind goes glassy, but the swell is only 2ft and the energy is just 37. It’s a pretty, clean surface with nothing to ride. The rest of the week? Same story. Tiny waves, weak energy, and mostly onshore or cross-shore breezes. The combined energy figures stay low, all under 100 – weak, weak, weak.

We finally get a bit of a bump on Friday the 14th of August. The morning shows a 3ft swell from the west with a 7-second period, and the energy nudges up to 90. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSE, and the notes say “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It gets a score of 1 out of 10. That’s the best on offer for the whole forecast, and it’s still a pretty average day. Saturday the 15th morning has a similar 3ft, but with a shorter period and less energy (48).

From there, it’s a long, slow fade. The second week, from the 17th of August onward, the swell drops right off. Energy readings are in the teens and twenties. On the 22nd, we see a 1ft swell with a 10-second period, but the energy is only 24, and the wind is onshore. There’s just nothing to get excited about.

For a spot like Playa El Palmar, a sandbar break that’s fairly consistent, this kind of dead run is a real bummer. It’s one of those periods where you’d be better off doing something else. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the Friday morning the 14th – that 3ft with a bit of energy and a light offshore wind is your best bet, but keep your expectations real low. It’s not going to be a day to remember.

Rusty.

Read more