Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break it down.

First thing, it’s a rough stretch ahead for Salamumu. A long, frustrating wait before we see anything that’s even close to decent. The water temp is sitting around 81°, which is pretty standard for this time of year. Nothing to write home about.

The trouble starts right away. From Thursday, August 6th, through the weekend, the wind is just brutal. We’re looking at strong cross-onshore winds, gusting from 18 to 30 mph, turning the ocean into a lumpy, blown-out mess. There’s swell out there, like 3ft to 10ft, but it’s ugly. The wave energy is moderate to strong (between 1215 and 2188), but with those winds, it’s just poor. This is not a day to paddle out. Honestly, with that much wind and that size, this setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Then we roll into the next week. Monday, August 11th, through Sunday, August 16th, the wind eases off a little, but we’re still stuck with fresh cross-onshore and cross-shore breezes. The swell is generally in the 3ft to 6ft range, but it’s all from the S or SSE, and the period is all over the place. The wave energy drops, but it’s still not clean. The comments are all “poor surf conditions” – not a single standout in this stretch.

We finally get a glimmer of hope on Monday, August 17th. The swell drops to 4ft from the SW, with a 17-second period – that’s a very long-period groundswell. The wind is starting to go cross-shore, and the wave comment jumps to “marginal”. It’s not great, but it’s better than what we’ve had. The wave energy is moderate (1025). This is the first sign of life.

The real highlight, the only one worth aiming for, is on Tuesday, August 18th. The swell is around 5ft to 5ft from the SW, with that lovely 14-second period. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore breeze, giving us clean conditions. The wave energy is moderate (1004 to 1205). This is the best it’s going to get in the whole 16-day window. The forecast says “clean”. This is your window. It’s a small window, but it’s the only one.

After that, it goes straight back to poor. Wednesday, August 19th, and Thursday, August 20th, the wind turns cross-onshore again, and the swell gets lumpy. By Friday, August 21st, the wind is back up to 22 mph and the swell is 7ft from the S – that’s a big, powerful swell (2653 combined energy), but it’s blown out. Not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for beginners.

So, to wrap it up: the whole first week and a half is a write-off. The only real standout is Tuesday, August 18th. That’s the day to get a session in. It’s clean, it’s manageable, and it’s the only time the stars align. The rest is a battle with the wind. Keep your eyes on the forecast, but don’t get your hopes up until that Tuesday.

Rusty.

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