Salsa Brava Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I've been going over the charts for the next couple of weeks. We've only got one spot really on the radar, and that's Salsa Brava.

Right now, the water is sitting at a warm 84° – that's a touch above average for this time of year, so the boardies are definitely the go. The next few days, honestly, are a bit of a write-off. We've got a stormy, unstable feel with risk of thunderstorms and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind. Wednesday morning the 12th starts with a 6ft swell from the ENE, but it's a messy cross-on with a light breeze, so it's not worth paddling out for. That theme continues through Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th – the morning of Friday the 14th actually has a cheeky clean window with a cross-offshore breeze and 4ft swell from the ENE, but it's short-period stuff at 8 seconds, so it won't have much punch.

Now, Saturday the 15th sees the swell start to build. By Saturday afternoon we're looking at 8ft from the NE with a 10-second period, and the combined wave energy is a moderate 938, but the wind is a cross-on from the NNW, so it's going to be a bit of a messy, choppy affair. Not ideal.

Here's where it gets interesting for the crew who know what they're doing. Sunday the 16th morning is the standout of this whole run. We've got a solid 8ft of ENE groundswell wrapping in, with a period of 11 seconds and a big combined energy of 1661. That's a lot of power. The wind is a light cross-shore from the west, so it should be relatively clean. Just a heads up, though – at 8ft, this is expert territory at Salsa Brava's reef. It's a heavy, exposed break, and the swell direction is a touch off the optimum NE, but it's still going to barrel. The crowds are a factor here – they're often thick, so get in early.

After that, the energy drops off quickly. Monday the 17th is a mess with a moderate onshore breeze, and by Tuesday the 18th the swell is fading fast. The second week, from the 20th of August onwards, is pretty flat. We're seeing tiny swells around 3ft to 5ft, with weak energy (mostly under 300), and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on. There's a glimmer on Monday the 24th – the morning is glassy with a 3ft ENE swell, but it's basically flat and ordinary. The last real hope is Thursday the 27th morning, with a 6ft ENE swell and a light cross-shore, offering a semi-clean window, but it's still a long way off and the forecast is shaky.

So, bottom line: if you're an expert, Sunday the 16th morning at Salsa Brava is your best bet. The rest of the 16 days is a pretty quiet one for most of us.

Rusty.

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