El Palmar
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- ESE 15 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 142, too small
- Mon 228, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the east, 11 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft12 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 394kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 21°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:51 −0.8 mHigh 07:21 +0.9 mLow 13:41 −0.9 mHigh 20:16 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:08 −0.6 mHigh 08:41 +0.8 mLow 15:08 −0.8 mHigh 21:39 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:37 −0.6 mHigh 10:03 +0.8 mLow 16:31 −0.9 mHigh 22:53 +0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Dec–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
El Palmar on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Faro de Trafalgar 6.9 km away
- Los Canos de Meca 7.6 km away
- Roche 11.8 km away
- Barbate 13.6 km away
- La Barrosa 17.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Palmar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 34). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Conil de la Frontera, 4.9 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,120–US$2,110 each
about US$1,120–US$2,110 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to XRY, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$100–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,120–US$2,110 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
8 min by car · 39 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Zahora its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Conil de la Frontera on Booking.com
9 min by car · 131 places to stay
- Beds in Barbate on Booking.com
17 min by car · 1 place to stay
About US$80 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 18h 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → XRY, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 1h 20m by road
Flights ORD → XRY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.