Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Salamumu over the next couple of weeks is a tough one. This is a reef break that usually fires on a good SE swell, but for the entire 16-day forecast period, the conditions are just not playing ball. We’ve got a persistent, strong cross-shore and cross-onshore wind, mostly from the ESE and SE, which is ruining any chance of clean surf. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

For the first week, from Saturday the 29th of August right through to Friday the 4th of September, it’s a write-off. You’ve got swell hanging around – a mix of S and SW groundswell with periods up to 19 seconds – but that wind is a nightmare. It’s a fresh to strong breeze, making the surface a lumpy, messy cross-chop. The combined wave energy is moderate, bouncing around from 327 to 939 (moderate energy), but none of that matters when the wind is trashing it. Even the bigger stuff on Saturday the 5th of September, where the swell bumps up to 6 ft from the S with a period of 16 seconds, giving a strong combined energy of 2118 (strong energy), the cross-onshore wind is still there, smashing it up. That’s only for experts anyway – over 5 ft and it’s not for beginners.

Friday the 4th of September morning is the closest we get to a surf, with a marginal call (score 1/10), but even then, the wind is fresh and cross-shore, making it lumpy. It’s just not worth paddling out for.

The second week stays grim. From Saturday the 5th of September through to Sunday the 13th of September, the pattern is the same: persistent SE or ESE winds, cross to cross-onshore, with moderate swell heights (2 ft to 4 ft). The combined energy drops back to moderate levels (307 to 1249). No clean windows. Nothing.

The only highlight worth a mention – and it’s a sad one – is that on Friday the 4th of September morning, you get a 4 ft S swell with a 16-second period, giving a combined energy of 1342 (moderate to strong). If the wind was light, that groundswell would be a gem for the reef, breaking with real power. But the fresh cross-shore wind makes it lumpy, so it’s a no-go.

Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, this cross-shore wind setup might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, there’s nothing on offer. It’s a blank run of 16 days. That’s a long stretch of poor conditions for this area. Forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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