Playa El Palmar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at what Playa El Palmar (sandbar) has on offer over the next couple of weeks.

Mate, I gotta be straight with you: this outlook is a tough one. There’s a big gap of no-good surf at the start. From now through to the morning of the 6th of September, it’s basically a write-off. We’re looking at a solid 15-day stretch of poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, the wind is on it or cross-onshore, and what little energy there is gets chopped up. You’ll see a few days with small, weak windswell—like 1ft to 3ft swell with periods around 4 to 6 seconds—but the combined wave energy is almost always weak, reading under 100 (like 47, 32, 19). Not worth paddling out for. There’s a moment on the morning of the 29th of August where we get a glassy 3ft swell from the WNW, but the period is only 6 seconds, so it’s just a messy little bump.

The only light at the end of the tunnel comes on the 7th of September. Monday morning brings a pulse. We finally get a groundswell sneaking in: 2ft from the west, but with a very long period of 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 178 (moderate energy). That’s the kind of period that brings real shape. The wind is a gentle offshore from the east at 9 mph, meaning clean conditions. It’s not big, and with that long period at a beach break, it could be a bit straight and reformy, but it’s the only real wave on offer in the entire window. Crowds are often a thing here, so you’ll likely have company. Because it’s 2ft of swell at a shallow beach break with that long period (over 15 seconds), it’ll be a point-and-shoulder type day for surfers who know how to work small, long-period lines.

It’s a bare cupboard, but that morning on the 7th of September is the one to circle. Everything before that is flat, windy mush. Fingers crossed the forecasts sharpen up.

- Rusty

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