Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty bleak stretch for Playa El Palmar. The forecast is showing a real dry spell of quality surf. The first real glimmer of something surfable doesn't pop up until the early morning of Tuesday, August 13th, and even then, it’s all about the "surfable but very ordinary" category. The waves are small, and the conditions are just... meh. There’s a whole lot of nothing before that.

The water temp is sitting at a pleasant 73°, which is about normal for the time of year, so that’s one small win.

Let’s break it down. The first few days are a write-off. From August 8th right through to the 12th, the swell is tiny and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making for a choppy mess. You’re looking at weak wave energy (18 to 65 in the energy stakes) – not enough to push a leaf, let alone a surfboard.

Come Thursday morning, August 13th, we finally get a sniff of something. A light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE will clean things up a bit. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the west, with a period of 7 seconds, giving it a combined energy of 59. It’s surfable, but you’ll be working hard for not much reward. That little window of clean conditions continues into Friday morning, August 14th, with a similar 3 ft west swell (energy 92) and light cross-offshore winds. Still very ordinary.

The standout, if you can call it that, is shaping up to be Saturday morning, August 15th. The wind will be light offshore from the east, cleaning up a 3 ft swell from the WNW. The period is a short 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak, but it’s the cleanest window we’ve got. The energy is low at 56, so don’t expect any power. Sunday the 16th has a moderate offshore breeze, but the swell is still tiny.

After that, it’s back to onshore and cross-onshore winds and tiny, weak waves for the rest of the period. There’s a wildcard on Sunday, August 23rd, with a 3 ft swell and strong offshore winds from the east at 28 mph. The energy is only 78 and the period is short at 5 seconds, so it’ll be a real battle just to get out there. The wind will be so strong it’ll be hard to paddle into anything. It’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is the Saturday morning of August 15th. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the cleanest, most surfable window in a very long, quiet forecast. Keep your expectations low and you might just have a fun little session on the small, clean lines.

Rusty.

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