
Samoa is an unspoilt natural paradise with crystal clear waters and pristine rainforests. This jewel of the Pacific is now within your reach. Both Samoan islands of Upolu and Savaii attract swell all year round, with a multitude of world class reef breaks scattered to the North, South, East and West. Most breaks are only accessible by boat and you need an expert surf guide to take you to these breaks – such as Brent Ross of Samoan Surfaris.
Certain resorts such as Aganoa Lodge on Savaii and Salani Surf Resort on Upolu, have surf within paddling distance from the beach. World Surfaris offer a handpicked range of destinations in Samoa, dealing only with the very best operators in the region. Your hosts in Samoa are passionate about their country, their culture and of course, their surf. Samoa is an incredible wonderland of uncrowded waves that should be on every surfers’ bucket list!
Samoa
Jun-Sep strong SE trades possible
Bottom Type: Reef – Variety – majority of waves are hollow
Samoa’s Surf Seasons:
Upolu:
May to September
The most consistent swells come from way down in the southern ocean and intensify before exploding on Upolu Island’s south shore during the May to September season. During this period the SE trade-winds that are the prevalent in the Sth Pacific can have an impact on some of breaks that are more exposed to the wind, whilst other breaks are un-affected, e.g. Boulders is protected by the headland and Devils Island is off-shore in SE winds. At times the SE trades can be VERY strong and there may be times when conditions are not ideal (un-safe) for boat travel to the surf breaks. On these occasions the surf-guides will do all possible to track you down some surf by vehicle access (even travelling to the North Coast where the breaks will be smaller in size but not wind-affected). During the peak Sth swell months (May-Sep) there will be days when there is very little wind and conditions will be perfect.
February to April and October
During the months of Feb/Mar/April and October, the South Shore breaks can get VERY good with glassy, clean conditions due to lack of wind factor at this time. South West swells (generally not as large as May-Sep months) are common over this period, being the favoured swell direction of some of the right-handers on the South Coast e.g. the world-class set-up of Coconuts. During this same period, the North Shore of Upolu can often have good waves also due to North Swells pushing down from Hawaii.
November to January
Summer is when the north shore of Upolu is at its best. North swells originating in Alaska travel via Hawaii and hit Samoa’s north shore approximately 3 to 5 days after hitting Oahu (Hawaii).
Savai’i (which we also spell as “Savaii” cos it is easier on the eye when reading):
The incredible part about most breaks on Savai’i is how accessible they are. While most breaks on neighboring Upolu require a boat ride to an outer reef, nearly all of Savaii’s waves are a short paddle from the beach. Serving up consistent rights and/or lefts for any skill level 2-10ft, surfing is even allowed at some breaks on Savaii on Sundays (like Aganoa – nod-nod, wink-wink).
There are over 10 different waves within an hour’s run of the Aganoa Lodge on Savaii – the majority are within 30 minutes. The surf here is ultra-consistent, with various lefts and rights that work in most tidal conditions. Best of all, the variety of surf offers many options for all levels of surfers and equipment.
Swell Direction: Anything South for South Coast / Anything North for the North Coast, however West swell can be great.
Wind Direction: Anything North for South Coast / Anything South for North Coast, however some South Coast spots are offshore in SE winds also!
Savai’i:
Swell: any type of South
Wind: North or light SE