Surf Forecasts:
Playa El Palmar surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, W swell with 82 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Playa El Palmar this week:
The surf forecast for Playa El Palmar over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Playa El Palmar in the next 16 days are 0.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Playa El Palmar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real. If you’re looking at the next couple of weeks, you’re going to need a whole lot of patience. We’ve got a long, flat spell ahead before things finally get their act together, and even then, it’s not going to be a classic. But hey, that’s the life we chose.
The water’s sitting at 74°, which is about average for this time of year. Nothing weird going on there. The story is the lack of swell. The energy in the water is weak, barely registering in the low double digits. We’re talking combined swell energies of 41, 60, even down to single digits. It’s just not doing anything.
The first real chance of a wave doesn’t come until Thursday the 13th, and even that’s a struggle. There’s a tiny 2ft W swell with a 9-second period, but the energy is weak (41). Thursday morning is clean with a light cross-off breeze, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. Thursday afternoon goes glassy, but the swell is still small. Honestly, it’s just a tease.
Friday the 14th is more of the same, small and uninspiring. Saturday and Sunday see a slight bump to 3ft, but the winds are all over the place and it’s mostly cross-shore or onshore. The energy is still weak, topping out at 83 on Saturday morning. Not worth the paddle out.
From the 17th through the 22nd, it’s a total write-off. Swell drops right off to 0.7ft, with energy numbers plumbing the depths—down to 4 at one point. You’d be better off finding a lake or a pool because the ocean is flat.
Finally, around Sunday the 23rd, we see a pulse. The swell picks up to 3ft from the WNW with a 6-second period. It’s a short-period swell, so not a ton of punch, but at least there’s something. The energy starts to climb into the moderate range, hitting 65 that morning. The problem is, the wind is cross-shore and chopped up. Surfable, but you’ll be battling the crud.
That trend continues into Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, with the swell holding around 3ft to 4ft from the WNW. The energy gets up to 94 on Tuesday morning, which is the most we’ll see in this whole stretch. But again, it’s a short-period swell with moderate cross-onshore winds. It’s messy.
This is the best we’ve got, but for a sandbar like Playa El Palmar, a short-period W/NW swell like this is going to be lumpy and closed-out. It’s more of a novelty skim than a proper surf. The waves won’t have any real shape. With more energy and a more favorable wind, this could be something, but as it stands, it’s a low-quality option for the desperate.
After that, things just fade back away again, dropping down to nothing by the 28th. So there you have it. A couple of small windows with weak, choppy waves, but nothing that’s going to make you call in sick for work. It’s a rough go.
Signing off,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 6 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
41 | 60 | 59 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 82 | 25 | 22 | 50 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross | on | glassy | cross | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | on |
High Tide | 4:30PM3.05m | 4:57AM2.78m | 5:12PM3.05m | 5:36AM2.74m | 5:51PM2.95m | 6:14AM2.65m | 6:30PM2.78m | 6:52AM2.51m | 7:09PM2.55m | 7:30AM2.34m | 7:50PM2.30m | 8:11AM2.16m | 8:37PM2.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:13AM0.09m | 10:46PM-0.08m | 10:53AM0.06m | 11:24PM-0.04m | 11:32AM0.10m | 00:01AM0.08m | 12:10PM0.20m | 00:37AM0.25m | 12:47PM0.36m | 1:12AM0.45m | 1:27PM0.55m | 1:50AM0.67m | 2:11PM0.75m | 2:34AM0.88m | |||||||
7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:16 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:14 | — | — | 9:12 | — | — | 9:10 | — | — | 9:09 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
Feels °C | 31 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 26 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 8 | W 6 | W 5 | W 7 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 5 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 |
41 | 60 | 59 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 82 | 12 | 22 | 50 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | SE 4 | — | — | W 8 | E 4 | E 5 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 5 | — | WNW 8 |
— | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 4 | ENE 4 | ESE 4 | E 4 | ENE 3 | SSW 2 | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 5 | E 3 | — | ESE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | WSW 3 | W 4 |
— | 38 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 25 | — | — | 23 | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | 9 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 84 | 53 | 818 | 53 | 53 | 269 | 84 | 112 | 273 | 160 | 270 | 274 | 37 | 273 | 452 | 273 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Andalucia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Spain (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Playa El Palmar Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Playa El Palmar provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Playa El Palmar can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Playa El Palmar surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Playa El Palmar) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Playa El Palmar may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Playa El Palmar is 5 km (3 miles) from Conil de la Frontera. If you plan a holiday in Andalucia, look for hotels and other accommodation in Conil de la Frontera. Conil de la Frontera has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











