Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for Playa El Palmar. Honestly, I gotta be straight with you—this stretch is a tough one. The entire 16-day window is pretty flat and messy, with no real standout days for a proper surf session. We’ve got a long gap of poor conditions right from the start, and it doesn’t let up until the very end of the outlook.

The water temperature is sitting around 73°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

For the first week, from Wednesday the 19th all the way through to the end of August, we’re seeing tiny swell, mostly under 3 ft, coming from the west-northwest or west, with periods all under 10 seconds. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, and the combined wave energy is weak, usually between 4 and 47 (weak energy). It’s just poor surf conditions day after day—choppy, lumpy, and not worth paddling out for.

The gap of no-surf is nearly two weeks. We get a little flicker of hope on the 28th of August—Friday morning—when the wind finally swings offshore from the east, and it’s clean. But the swell is still only 2 ft from the west-northwest with a short period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is just 58 (still weak). It’s rideable, but tiny. That afternoon, the wind gets stronger offshore, but the swell drops to 2 ft. Not exactly firing.

The same pattern repeats on the 29th of August—Saturday morning is clean with offshore wind, but again, it’s only 2 ft and weak energy. By Saturday afternoon, the wind swings light cross-onshore, and it’s basically flat.

Then we hit the first week of September, and the swell tries to pick up a bit. From the 30th of August through the 2nd of September, we see heights around 3 ft to 4 ft from the west-northwest, but the periods are still short (5 to 6 seconds), and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy gets into the 60s and 80s (still weak to moderate), but the wind messes it up. It’s not surfable in any quality sense.

Finally, on the 3rd of September—Thursday morning—we get a brief moment of glory. The wind goes glassy, almost calm from the south, and the swell is 2 ft from the west-northwest with a 6-second period. The combined energy is only 36 (weak), but the glassy conditions mean it’ll be clean. Still, it’s small, and then it fades again by afternoon.

So, the best on offer? If you’re desperate, the morning of the 3rd of September is your best bet for a clean, small wave session. But honestly, for most of the 16 days, you’re better off finding something else to do. The whole setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially on the windier days.

Rusty.

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