Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Salamumu over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. For the first week, pretty much every day is written off. The wind is constantly from the east or southeast, howling at 18-20 mph or more, and it’s cross or cross-onshore. That means the surface is going to be lumpy, choppy, and just plain messy. From Tuesday the 11th of August right through to the 16th, the scores are a flat zero. There’s one morning on the 13th with a 6 ft ESE swell but the cross wind and a short period of just 9 seconds makes it pretty average. There is also a brief moment on Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th of August where the wind swings offshore (cross-off) from the ENE and NE. This cleans things up nicely. The combined wave energy is moderate on the 18th morning (939) but builds to strong (1015) by the afternoon, with a 5 ft swell from the southwest at a long period of 16 seconds. That southwest groundswell will wrap in and, paired with clean conditions, makes for an excellent window for experienced surfers. Crowds are possible here, but with the conditions finally lining up, it’ll be worth it.

Then it gets ugly again. On Wednesday the 19th, the wind turns cross-onshore and ruins the party, and from the 20th through to the 22nd of August, we see a big spike in swell – hitting 8 ft on the 20th and staying over 7 ft for a few days. But that strong to fresh cross-onshore wind (up to 25 mph) will make those waves a total mess; this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The energy values are huge, up to 3366, but it’s all for nothing if you can’t get a clean face.

The latter part of the outlook, around the 24th of August, shows a glimmer. Monday the 24th morning has a 7 ft swell from the SSE at 13 seconds with a moderate cross-off breeze – clean but marginal. Then Monday afternoon is the clear standout of the second week: a 5 ft swell from the south with 13 seconds of period, light NE winds at just 9 mph and clean conditions. That’s excellent for experienced surfers. After that, the last few days of the month look rough again with onshore wind and a messy sea-state.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The real standout is Tuesday the 18th of August afternoon – that’s your best bet for clean, long-period groundswell. The second standout is Monday the 24th of August afternoon, though it’s further out and less certain. Be patient, wait for that offshore wind, and you’ll get some clean ones at Salamumu.

Rusty.

Read more