Salamumu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what we’ve got for Salamumu over the next 16 days.

First up, the water temperature is sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing out of the ordinary there, just your typical warm tropical bath.

Right now, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. Thursday the 13th sees some swell around 4 ft from the SSE with a period of 11 seconds, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore and it’s choppy. The combined energy is moderate at 657, and the call is poor surf. Thursday afternoon isn’t much better – a bit more energy at 1153 but still marginal and messy. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are flat and poor, with small swell dropping to 2 ft and cross or cross-onshore winds. We’re looking at a few days of nothing really worth paddling out for through Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th, with marginal conditions at best. The energy stays moderate, around the 500-650 mark, but the wind keeps it lumpy.

Tuesday the 18th through Wednesday the 19th sees the swell build a little – up to 5 ft from the SW with a 16-second period – but again, cross-onshore winds ruin it. The energy climbs into the 900-1100 range, so there’s push, but the surface is choppy and the surf is poor.

Now, the standout – and I mean the only real standout – comes on Friday the 28th of August. That’s over two weeks away, so keep in mind this is a long-range promise and not locked in, but it looks beautiful. On Friday morning we get a 5 ft swell from the S, period 10 seconds, with a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the ENE. That’s clean surf, energy moderate at 567, and the call is “expect very good surf conditions.” Friday afternoon is even cleaner – same swell size at 4 ft, same light cross-offshore wind, and a score of 3 out of 10 for quality. The energy is 554, and it’s described as clean. That’s your window. Salamumu is a consistent, exposed reef break that works best with SE swell, and we’re getting S swell with a clean wind. For a reef, the period is a bit short at 10 seconds, but the wind is the real hero here – glassy conditions make this the pick of the entire forecast. It’s an advanced wave, and crowds are sometimes around, so you might have company, but for that kind of clean reef, it’s worth it.

Before that, from the 20th through the 24th, we get a big pulse of energy. Thursday the 20th hits 6 ft from the SSW, then Friday the 21st peaks at 10 ft from the S, with combined energy over 3500 – that’s strong to very strong. But the wind is fresh to strong cross-onshore, making it lumpy and messy. The surf is poor, and at 10 ft, this is expert-only territory, but the wind is so bad it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The 22nd and 23rd drop to 8 ft and 6 ft, still cross-shore winds and lumpy, so marginal at best. By the 24th, it’s down to 4 ft with moderate cross-shore, still not great.

After the 28th, there’s nothing else on offer in the window. The rest of the days into late August are small, with poor wind or short-period junk. So if you’re keen, keep your eyes on that Friday the 28th – it’s the only real taste of clean surf in a long stretch of messy conditions.

Rusty.

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