Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way at Salamumu.

The opening day, Tuesday the 18th of August, is a real gem—the standout of the whole window. We’ve got a clean 5 ft SW groundswell rolling in with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the wind is a dead calm, glassy nothing. That’s about as good as it gets for a reef break. The water is sitting at 80°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, no surprises there. The combined swell energy is strong at 1164, so there’s plenty of push. This one’s for the experienced crew though – that reef and the long period will make the waves a bit walled and fast. You’ll want to be on your game.

After that gorgeous Tuesday, the wheels fall off. From Wednesday the 19th right through to Monday the 31st of August, it’s a long, painful stretch of poor to marginal conditions. The wind swings onshore from the ESE and SE and just doesn’t give up. It’s blowing around 18-25 mph for days on end, making everything lumpy, messy, and cross-onshore. The swell sticks around between 2 ft and 7 ft, but with that wind, it’s a write-off. The energies drop off into the moderate range (down to 125 in some cases), and the periods fluctuate a lot. There’s no point getting excited until we look way out.

Now, if you’re feeling patient and don't mind the uncertainty of a long-range call, keep your eye on Tuesday the 1st of September – nah, scratch that, that’s still rubbish. But Wednesday the 2nd of September is something else on the horizon. A big SW groundswell is forecast to push through at 6 ft to 7 ft with a classic 17-18 second period. That’s a serious amount of water moving, with strong wave energy readings over 2450. The problem is, the wind is forecast to be onshore again, around 18 mph. It’s too far out to trust the wind, but the swell potential is huge. That Wednesday is the only other window that could flip if the wind backs off. For now, it’s promising but very uncertain.

So, bottom line: go charging on Tuesday the 18th of August while it’s glassy and clean. After that, the next 14 days are mostly a write-off for paddle surfing due to the relentless onshore wind. That big swell on September 2nd is a maybe – check back closer to the date.

Stay salty.
- Rusty

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