Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what’s cooking for Playa El Palmar over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – the charts are looking pretty flat for a long stretch, but there is a little glimmer of hope way out there.

Right now and for the next week and a half, the story is all about small, weak waves. We're looking at a whole lot of days where the swell is tiny, mostly from the west or west-northwest. For the first week, from the end of August right through to the 7th of September, the swell height barely gets above 2.3ft, and the period is short – mostly 5 or 6 seconds – which means weak, crumbly waves if anything at all. The combined energy is all below 100, often just in the teens or twenties, confirming it’s all very weak. The wind is often offshore from the east or glassy in the mornings, which would make for clean conditions, but there just isn't enough swell to get excited about. It’s a pretty blank run for the area.

Then we hit a bit of a turning point on Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning shows a jump to about 4.3ft from the WNW, with a combined energy reading of 213, which is moderate energy. The wind is a gentle offshore breeze from the ESE. That’s the best-looking window in the whole 16-day forecast. It’s still not huge, but for this stretch of small surf, it’s the standout. The water temp is around 71.4°, which is about average for this time of year, so no wetsuit drama.

After that morning on the 8th, it drops right back off again. The afternoon on the 8th gets onshore and messy, and the rest of the week into the second weekend stays tiny, with wind mostly offshore but the swell just not there. There is a little bump in period on the 11th and 12th of September with some longer-period groundswell from the west (17 seconds!), but the height is only 0.7ft to 1.3ft, so those long lines will barely show. The energy is still weak (around 30 to 51). That long-period swell would be best if it had any size, but at this height, it’s not doing much.

So, my honest take: The best you’ll get is the Tuesday the 8th of September morning. Head down to Playa El Palmar early for a clean, glassy session. The swell will be around 4.3ft from the WNW. It’s a sandbar break that’s fairly consistent, but expect some company as it can get crowded. With the wind being gentle offshore, the conditions should be really clean. That’s your one true window in this whole outlook.

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