Salalah, Oman

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Qaryat Umq, is 625 km away. Nearest airport: SLL (SLL), 3 km.

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About Salalah

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (160°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (340°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 145). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Qaryat Umq, is 625 km away. Nearest airport: SLL (SLL), 3 km.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 24 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SLL, changing at Hamad International Airport (DOH).
See flights ORD → SLL · Skyscanner from about £695 returnAd
Getting there. 25 min from the airport to Salalah.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Qaryat Umq, is 625 km away. Nearest airport: SLL (SLL), 3 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Salalah · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Salalah · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Salalah on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Salalah, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	25, too small	2 ft9 ssoft	45kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots	32°C
Mon 19Oct	29, too small	2 ft8 ssoft	60kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots	34°C
Tue 20Oct	29, too small	2 ft8 ssoft	53kJ	wind from the south-east, 3 knots	33°C
Wed 21Oct	32, too small	3 ft4 smushy	21kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	32°C
Thu 22Oct	31, too small	2 ft7 smushy	60kJ	wind from the south-east, 4 knots	32°C
Fri 23Oct	33, too small	2 ft9 ssoft	69kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	34°C
Sat 24Oct	34, too small	2 ft8 ssoft	70kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots	31°C
Sun 25Oct	32, too small	2 ft8 smushy	49kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots	31°C
Mon 26Oct	25, too small	2 ft7 smushy	34kJ	wind from the south, 2 knots	34°C
Tue 27Oct	20, too small	1 ft10 ssoft	39kJ	wind from the south-east, 2 knots	37°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to SLL, changing at DOH, then 25 min by road. About 24h door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Salalah
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 3 ft at 4 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Salalah
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 2 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Salalah
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 2 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to SLL, changing at DOH, then 25 min by road. About 24h door to door

Rough cost

About £965–£1,935 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to SLL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DOH, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£695–£1,450
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£15–£25
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£965–£1,935

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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