Chia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Chia.

Honestly, this looks like a lean run. For a solid stretch of 16 days, we’re mostly looking at flat spells and poor surf conditions. There’s no standout swell window, and the wave heights are tiny for the majority of the time. The first real tick of interest doesn’t show up until late in the run, so you’re gonna need some patience.

The water at Chia is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, a solid 84° with a big anomaly of 5°, so you’ll be in for a warm bath out there, but that’s about the only thing going for it for a while.

From the start, Thursday 13 August through to late August, the swell is mostly flat or under 2ft, with periods as low as 3 seconds. The combined swell energy is weak – mostly single digits (1 to 13) – just nothing to get excited about. The odd spot on the 17th has a clean little 2ft wave with light winds, but it’s still tiny and low energy (energy at 11). That’s not worth suiting up for.

The first possible window with some real height shows up on Saturday 22 August morning, with a 3ft, 8-second swell from the west (energy at 82). The wind is clean, light cross-off from the NW, so it’ll be tidy. It’s still small, but that’s the first time we see more than a ripple.

Then Monday 24 August morning brings the biggest swell of the period: a 3ft, 7-second west-southwest swell, with energy climbing into three digits at 103. Winds are light from the east-northeast, a light cross-shore breeze. That’s the pick of the fortnight. It’s not huge, but for Chia, this is the most surf you’ll see in a long time. The swell direction from the WSW is a bit off the optimum (SSW), but the combination of size, clean conditions, and that moderate energy makes it the best looking session. Crowds could be around sometimes, so be ready to share. That morning is the one to pencil in.

After that, the surf drops away quickly again into late August, with nothing of note. Thursday 27 August morning has a little 2ft, 7-second west swell (energy at 57) with clean light cross-off wind, but it’s still marginal.

So, bottom line: if you’re desperate for a paddle, the morning of Monday 24 August is your best shot, with that 3ft west-southwest swell and clean conditions. Before that, it’s mostly flat or close to it. After that, it goes quiet again. Not a classic spell for Chia.

Rusty.

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