Map
Nine Palms
Today's Surf Conditions at Nine Palms
Spot Conditions Map
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Today's Surf & Wind Forecast (Hourly)
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Spot Overview & Description
Beyond the well-trodden dust roads of Baja Sur’s East Cape, Nine Palms stands as a reliable and beloved pillar of the local surf scene. Its enduring appeal isn’t born from world-class perfection, but from a rare combination of steadfast consistency and remarkable ease of access. With parking perched right above the break, the journey from car to water is almost comically short, making it a favorite for those seeking a quick fix without sacrificing quality. The wave itself is a nuanced creature. At its most workable, between 5 and 8 feet (1.5 to 2.4 meters), it can feel a bit slow and mushy, especially under head-high or smaller conditions. But when a healthy overhead south swell—ideally from the south, southeast, or southwest—pushes in, the lineup transforms. The shape tightens into a fun, reeling right-hand point break, offering clean, crackable walls and, on the choicest days, a fleeting but memorable barrel. Northwest winds are your friend here, grooming the face into a clean canvas for both arcing turns and quick tube rides. The sweet spot for optimal surf stretches from March through October, when spring, summer, and autumn swells align with favorable winds. This versatility makes Nine Palms a democratic wave, welcoming beginners on longboards or funboards just as readily as seasoned shortboarders and fish riders. Just keep a sharp eye on the rocks lurking in the lineup—they add a pinch of local character and a dose of caution to every session.
Best Surf Season & Climatology
Best Surf Season (December - February)
The winter months at Nine Palms deliver the most consistent surf conditions thanks to a powerful combination of long-period groundswell and frequent offshore winds. As the North Pacific storm track intensifies, pulses of SSW and S swell roll into the coast with average wave periods often exceeding 12 seconds, producing clean, rippable waves in the 0.5 to 1.5m range. The wind machine shifts favorably, with high pressure over the Great Basin channeling steady NW to NNW breezes that groom the waves to perfection. With ideal wind percentages hovering around 70%, this is prime time for Nine Palms.
Fair Surf Season (March - May & October - November)
Spring and fall serve as transition periods, offering a blend of decent swell and moderate wind conditions. During early spring, the Southern Hemisphere starts to fire, generating healthy SSW swell that fills in at 1-1.5m with periods around 14 seconds. While the wind is still often from the NW quadrant, the percentage of ideal conditions drops to 50-60%, meaning occasional morning glass or late afternoon clean-ups. By late spring and early fall, onshore winds from the E/SE increase, making surf sessions more challenging but still possible with the right timing. These months reward patient surfers who catch the windows between frontal passages.
Low Surf Season (June - September)
Summer brings a drastic shift in the local wind regime as the North American monsoon sets up. Persistent E to SE winds dominate, often blowing onshore and deteriorating wave quality. While average swell heights actually peak at 1.2m and periods hold in the 13-second range, the prevailing wind direction is detrimental to surf conditions at Nine Palms. Most of the swell is from the S and SSW, which is not the optimal window for this east-southeast facing beach. The combination of onshore winds and a less favorable swell angle leads to choppy, weak surf for the majority of the season, with only rare, brief windows of offshore WNW breezes providing the occasional session.
Detailed Surf Information for Nine Palms
Detailed Surf Forecast
Access our detailed 8-day swell and wind forecast charts for Nine Palms with tidal graphs, period ranges, and daily forecast text summaries.
Swell & Wind Statistics
Explore historical swell consistency, wave heights, and offshore wind windows month-by-month, compiled from over 40 years of data.
Historical Surf Report
Browse the historical database archives to view past wave reports and understand spot climatology during specific years and months.
