Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – looking at the 16-day window for Salamumu, we’ve got a bit of a rough patch to sit through first. The wind is just not playing ball, and the set-up is going to be a struggle for a while. We're looking at a gap of about a week before things start to show a glimmer of hope.

Right now, starting Sunday the 23rd, it’s all cross-onshore wind, blowing hard from the ESE at 22 mph. The swell is there, coming from the SSE, but it’s a total mess. We’ve got a 6 ft swell with a moderate wave energy of 1499, but the poor conditions mean it’s not worth paddling out. This pattern just keeps going through the week. Monday the 24th has a bigger 7 ft swell from the SSE and a period of 16 seconds, but that wind is still howling cross-onshore at 22 mph with 2137 energy, so it’s a no-go. Tuesday the 25th is just as ugly, with a cross-onshore breeze hitting 25 mph and a 6 ft swell. This is the kind of setup where, if you’re keen on getting out, it might look more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer – it’s strong and messy.

We get a slight shift on Saturday the 29th. The wind finally turns cross-offshore from the ENE at 19 mph in the afternoon. The swell drops a bit to 5 ft from the ESE, but the energy is 855. It’s clean, and we get a marginal score, but it's still not the best quality wave. The real promise starts on Sunday the 30th. We’ve got a clean session in the morning with a cross-offshore breeze from the NE at 16 mph. The swell is only 3 ft, but it's a long-period groundswell from the S with an 18-second period and 956 energy. That long period is going to give you some nice, lined-up waves, but remember, at a reef break, that can mean waves breaking a bit straight, so pick your spot. It’s a marginal forecast but it’s the best we’ve seen all week. This clean, cross-offshore pattern holds through to Monday the 31st, but the swell fades to 3 ft, so it's small and clean.

From Tuesday the 1st of September, the wind swings back cross-shore and picks up again. The size drops further to 2 ft and 2 ft, and the energy fades to the low hundreds. It’s just poor conditions again.

The long-range picture, around Thursday the 3rd of September, sees a new pulse of swell. The combined energy jumps to 1558 and 1737 with a 5 ft to 5 ft SW swell, but it’s a long-period 17-18 second groundswell. Unfortunately, the wind is still cross-onshore from the SE at 22 mph, so the quality will be lumpy and poor. It’s a common story here; the swell is there, but the wind is the enemy.

Given the conditions across the board, the only real standout is Sunday the 30th. The wind is clean, cross-offshore, and you’ve got that long, 18-second groundswell offering shape, even if it’s on the smaller side at 3 ft. It'll be a quiet session with clean waves, and that's your best bet. For the rest, it's a waiting game. Hang in there.

Rusty.

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