Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for our little slice of paradise. It's a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, so let's get into it.

Right off the bat, this ain't a weekend for the casual surfer. We've got some solid energy in the water, with swell coming from the southwest, but the wind has been howling out of the east and southeast, just trashing the surface. Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th are write-offs with that cross-onshore chop – the wave faces will be all over the place and not much fun.

Things start to look a little more interesting as we head into the middle of next week. By Tuesday the 19th, the wind swings northwest, going cross-offshore, and while the swell drops right down, the energy is weak (around 432 combined energy), so the waves will be tiny and clean. Still, it's a chance to get wet if you've got a log. Wednesday the 20th is where we finally get a proper clean-up. The wind goes light and offshore from the WNW, and the swell picks back up to about 5 ft from the SW with a nice long 16-second period. That's a beautiful recipe for this reef. The combined energy is strong at 1522, but the wind will be so light the surface will be glassy. For the experienced crew at Chinamans, this is as good as it gets for a while – a proper standout session.

Thursday the 21st looks promising in the morning with clean 7 ft surf, but the afternoon gets absolutely hammered by strong cross-onshore winds as a front moves in, turning it into a complete mess.

That front ushers in some proper size. Saturday the 23rd sees a massive southwest groundswell, with waves holding around 10 ft. The combined energy is pumping at 8011! But here's the rub – it's a long, 18-second period swell. For a reef like Chinamans, that's usually magic, but it might also make things a bit too fat and walled for the beach breaks. If you're an expert, get ready for a big day. The wind is only a gentle breeze, cross-shore, so the conditions will be workable. That's a big tick.

Sunday the 24th and Monday the 25th drop off quickly with the swell fading and the wind turning messy again from the west. After that, the forecast gets a bit more uncertain for the end of August. We see another pulse of clean, mid-sized swell around Thursday the 28th, with 7 ft waves and offshore winds. A solid prospect.

Then the big one shows up for the final weekend of the month. On Friday the 29th of August, the charts are showing a big 12 ft swell from the WSW with a moderate breeze, and by the afternoon the wind drops to a light breeze. That's a huge swell, well over 8 ft, so this is strictly for experts only. The combined energy is a massive 5413 in the morning. This is a promising long-range standout, but it's a week and a half away, so don't get too attached to the idea just yet. The water temperature is sitting about average for this time of year.

So, to sum it up: Wednesday the 20th is your pick for clean, lined-up waves for the experienced surfer. Saturday the 23rd is the big, exciting swell for the pros. Keep an eye on that Friday the 29th, as it could be a real sleeper if it holds.

Rusty.

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