Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on the cards for Salamumu – it’s a real story of two halves.

This is an exposed reef break that loves a swell from the southeast. We’ve got a long-period SW groundswell rolling in for the start of the week. The water temp is about 80°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

We start off on Sunday, August 16th with a small 3ft swell from the SW, but the wind is cross from the east, so it’s a bit messy and not worth getting too excited about.

Monday the 17th starts looking better. The morning is small, but the wind turns cross-offshore, cleaning things up nicely. By Monday afternoon, we’ve got a clean 3ft SW swell with a 16-second period and a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is moderate at 606. It’s a nice, smooth session for a midday paddle.

The absolute standout is Tuesday, August 18th. Tuesday morning we’ve got 5ft of SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, light cross-offshore wind, and strong energy at 1064. Then Tuesday afternoon – this is the pick of the whole 16-day forecast. The swell pushes to 5ft, still that beautiful 16-second period, and the wind goes glassy. Absolutely dead calm. The energy hits 1269 (strong). This is excellent, clean surf for experienced surfers. You want to be in the water for this. Just remember, with such a long period, it can break a bit straight at some spots, but on a reef like Salamumu, it should be peeling nicely. Crowds are possible, so be ready to share.

Wednesday the 19th is still okay, with 5ft to 5ft of swell, but the wind turns to a gentle cross-onshore, making it a little bumpy.

Then comes the bad news. From Thursday, August 20th right through to the end of the month, it’s a long, ugly stretch. The wind howls from the SSE and SE, fresh to strong, always cross-onshore. The swell sticks around, sometimes getting over 7ft, but it’s lumpy, messy, and no fun at all. The energy gets massive – over 2000 at one point – but with those winds, it’s just a messy, choppy ocean. This is more of a kite-surfing zone than a place for a clean paddle session. The energy drops toward the end of August, but the conditions stay poor with strong cross-shore chop.

So the word is simple: Tuesday, August 18th is your day. Don’t sleep on it, because after that, we’re looking at a long stretch of onshore slop that’s going to keep the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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