China Walls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's be straight with you—this 16-day window for the area is a tough one to read. We've got a consistent run of swell, but the wind is the major buzzkill for most of it.

The standout spot here is China Walls. This is an advanced reef break, and it's exposed to the south, which is where all the good stuff is coming from. It's a consistent break, but don't expect to have it to yourself—crowds are sometimes a factor here. Right now, on Tuesday the 18th, we're staring at a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at 19 mph, with a 2 ft south swell. The period is a decent 13 seconds, and the combined swell energy is moderate, sitting at 242. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no shock to the system there. It's surfable, but the phrase "poor surf conditions" is in the file, and that's down to that cross-off wind not being pure offshore.

Things get a little more interesting on Thursday afternoon, the 20th. The wind swings around to a true offshore from the NE at 12 mph, and we’ve got a 2 ft swell from the SSW with a very long 17-second period (groundswell). Energy is still moderate at 270, and the file tells us to expect good surf. That long period is going to make for some lined-up, powerful waves on this reef, but it might break a bit too straight for a beach break—good thing we're at a reef break here. Friday the 21st also has a window with a light cross-offshore breeze from the East at 6 mph, and a 2 ft SW swell with a 16-second period (energy 310). That's clean, but the morning has a cross-shore wind that could ruffle things.

Now, the bad news. From Saturday the 22nd all the way through to the end of the period on Wednesday, September 2nd, the trade winds crank up hard from the ENE and NE, hitting 25–28 mph. Those are strong, onshore-directed cross-off winds that trash the wave face. The swell hangs around in the 1 ft to 3 ft range with decent periods, but that wind just makes it a messy, choppy mess. There's one day, Monday, August 24th morning, where a totally different swell shows up—a 8 ft east swell with a short, weak 7-second period. The energy is strong at 825, but that's more of a washing machine than a surfable wave, especially with a 28 mph wind. That's not a beginner wave; it's borderline expert-only due to size, but the conditions are so poor it's not even that.

There’s a noticeable gap in quality here. After that little window Thursday and Friday, it’s essentially a write-off for over a week until the very end. The last couple of days of August and into September have tiny surf with very low energy (down to 14 and 55). It doesn't look likely to change from the current pattern.

If you've got a kite, the strong, consistent trades and those small, clean windswell days might be more interesting for you than for a paddle surfer.

Rusty.

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