Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next stretch at Salamumu.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this run is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a solid swell hanging around, but the wind is just wrecking it. For the first few days, that strong breeze out of the ESE and SE is blowin’ straight across the wave face, making a proper mess of things. The energy is there – we’re looking at moderate to strong energy levels (984) – but it’s all for nothing with that cross-onshore chop. You’ll see some decent sized swell, like 6 ft on Tuesday, but it’s lumpy and ugly. Not worth paddlin’ out for.

We start to see a glimmer of hope heading into the end of the month. On Monday the 31st of August, the wind finally drops. A light breeze swings around to a cross-offshore direction, and the ocean gets clean. The swell drops to 2.3 ft from the south with a nice long period of 13 seconds, carrying some real groundswell energy. The combined energy is low (247), but the conditions are clean. That Tuesday morning the 1st of September, the wind picks back up, ruining it again, but that Monday afternoon window is your best bet for a clean, small wave session.

Then we hit a long, frustrating dry spell. From the 1st of September right through to the morning of the 8th, it’s a grim run of poor surf. The wind is relentless, either cross-onshore or cross-shore with messy chop. The swell keeps coming, but it’s just not lining up. It’s a solid week of no-go, so don’t bother checking the cams.

Now, the light at the end of the tunnel. On Tuesday the 8th of September, things start to get interesting. The wind eases to a moderate breeze and goes cross-shore. The swell bumps up to 6.2 ft from the south, with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy jumps to 2546, which is strong. The afternoon looks even better, with the swell hitting 7.2 ft from the same direction and energy climbing to 2654. This is a serious swell. The caveat is that with a long period like that, it can be a bit tricky, but at Salamumu’s reef, it should set up nicely. The wind is still a bit cross-shore, but it’s manageable. The report says marginal surf, but given the size and the energy, this is the standout of the entire forecast. For an expert surfer, Tuesday afternoon on the 8th of September is when you want to be out there. The water is warm, about average for the time of year at 81°.

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