Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the surf charts for the Salamumu area. Honestly, mate, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for paddle surfing, with a whole lot of onshore wind and messy conditions.

The one standout in the whole window is a very short window around Sunday, the 30th of August, and into Monday, the 31st. That’s your best bet, and it’s not perfect, but it’s the only time the wind eases off.

The water temp here is sitting at 27°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no worries there.

For the first week, from Monday the 24th right through to Saturday the 29th, it’s a write-off. The wind is howling from the SE and ESE, a solid 18 to 25 mph, and it’s blowing cross-onshore, making everything lumpy and messy. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong (940 to 2524), but it’s all junk with that wind. The swell is a mix of S and SE, with some decent periods up to 16 seconds, but that long-period groundswell does you no favours when the wind is trashing it. The morning of the 27th of August has a solid 8ft swell from the SE, but it’s a cross-shore gale with a risk of storms. That’s more of a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day.

The only real chance comes on Sunday, the 30th of August. The wind finally swings around to the NE, dropping to a moderate 15 mph and going cross-offshore. The swell is a clean 4ft from the south, with a long 16-second period. The water will be clean, and the combined energy is still solid (1001). The break is a reef, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely. It’s not big, but it’s the best quality on offer. Crowds are possible here, so get in early. The same conditions hold for Monday the 31st, with the wind dropping even lighter, down to 9-12 mph, and the swell holding at 3ft from the south. It’s a gentle, clean morning.

After that, from the 1st of September through to the 8th, it’s back to the same old story. The wind swings back onshore, and the surf quality drops right off into poor conditions. There’s a solid 5ft of south-east swell on the 8th, but it’s short-period junk (7 seconds) under a moderate cross-onshore breeze. Not worth paddling out for.

So, to wrap it up: the only window is this Sunday and Monday. The rest of the period is a write-off for decent surf. Forecasts change, so keep an eye on it, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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