Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve gotta be straight with you – if you’re looking at Salamumu over the next couple of weeks, you’re gonna need some patience. The forecast opens with a real flat spell. From Friday the 3rd right through to Wednesday the 8th, it’s pretty much all poor surf conditions. We’ve got moderate to fresh onshore winds, mostly from the south and southeast, and the swell is there but it’s messy and lumpy. The water temperature is sitting at 82°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Thursday the 9th of July. Thursday morning starts with a risk of thunderstorms, but the wind swings around to ENE as a cross-offshore at 16 mph, and the swell jumps to 5 ft from the southwest with a very long period of 18 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1885. It’s labelled as marginal, but it’s clean. Then Thursday afternoon is the standout for the whole outlook. The wind turns NNE offshore at 16 mph, the swell holds at 6 ft from the southwest, period 17 seconds – that’s quality groundswell. Energy is 2138, a big jump. Conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is your window. The swell direction is SW, and the optimum for Salamumu is SE, so it’s not a perfect match on direction, but the long-period SW groundswell will wrap nicely into this reef break. The break is consistent, and with offshore wind, it’ll be clean. Just be aware that crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have some company.

After that brief highlight, it’s back to the doldrums. From Friday the 10th right through to Saturday the 18th, it’s a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore from the south and southeast, with moderate to fresh breezes keeping things choppy and lumpy. Swell sizes bounce between 3 ft and 6 ft, but the quality just isn’t there. A few morning slots on the 12th and 13th get a marginal nod, but with cross-onshore winds, it’s not worth getting excited about. The 17th and 18th see a bit more size – 5 ft to 6 ft from the south – but again, those fresh cross-shore winds will wreck any chance of clean faces. For the experienced crew, that might look more like a kite session than a paddle session.

So, to wrap it up: the only real chance for a decent surf in this 16-day run is Thursday the 9th of July, especially the afternoon. Everything else is a write-off. Hang in there, the forecasts can shift, but for now, that’s the story.

Rusty.

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