Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Chinamans over the next couple of weeks.

The window kicks off on Monday the 27th of July, but it’s a rough start. Monday afternoon has a clean 5ft WSW swell with a strong offshore breeze, but it’s a tough paddle into it. The combined energy is moderate (734). Tuesday the 28th is a write-off – big, messy 8ft to 10ft swell with strong cross-shore winds, total choppy chaos. Wednesday the 29th is only slightly better – still 8ft to 10ft SW swell, but the wind is gentler and cross-onshore, so it’s still fairly choppy. The energy is strong (4586 on Wednesday morning).

Thursday the 30th of July is where things start to turn. The morning is a bit lumpy with a 6ft SW swell and light cross-onshore wind, but the afternoon is a gem. The wind goes glassy, the swell drops to a clean 5ft from the SW, and the wave energy is moderate (765). That’s a solid session for the advanced crew. Friday the 31st is also clean and fun – 4ft SW swell with a gentle cross-offshore breeze, making for tidy lines. The energy is moderate (544 in the morning, 716 in the afternoon).

Now, the standout of the first week? Saturday the 1st of August. The morning has a 6ft SW swell with a fresh offshore wind, and the afternoon really fires – 7ft of SW swell with a moderate offshore, clean and punchy. The energy jumps to very strong (3081). That’s the pick for the experienced surfers.

Sunday the 2nd of August sees a return to onshore choppy conditions as the swell stays around 7ft to 8ft. The energy is strong (3286 to 3624), but the wind is cross-onshore, making it lumpy. Not great.

Monday the 3rd of August is another high point. The morning delivers 8ft of SW swell with a light cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions. The energy is very strong (2527). This is excellent for experienced surfers. Tuesday the 4th is a mixed bag – the morning is clean with 5ft SW swell (moderate energy, 1461), but the afternoon goes weird with a 4ft 22-second period swell that’s cross-shore and a bit messy. Wednesday the 5th offers clean, powerful surf again – 8ft to 7ft SW swell with moderate cross-offshore wind, very strong energy (3348 in the morning).

The second week is a bit of a rollercoaster. The real standout for the whole outlook is Saturday the 8th of August. The afternoon delivers an 8ft WSW swell with a gentle offshore breeze and exceptional quality. The combined energy is extreme (5465). That’s a big, clean, deep-water groundswell for the experts only.

Sunday the 9th of August is a strong no-go – 10ft to 12ft SW swell with strong onshore winds, pure mess. Monday the 10th is also poor. But then Tuesday the 11th of August finishes the run beautifully – glassy conditions, with a 3ft to 4ft SW swell carrying a very long 20-21 second period. The energy is moderate (909 to 946). For a point break and reef, that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely.

Chinamans is a reef break, best for advanced surfers. It’s fairly consistent and exposed to the SW swell. The optimum swell direction is SW, which is exactly what we’re getting. The water temperature is 59°, about average for this time of year. Crowds can be an issue sometimes, so pick your session.

In short, the pick of the bunch is the afternoon of the 1st of August for a powerful, clean SW swell, and the afternoon of the 8th of August for a truly exceptional, big groundswell. Both are for the experienced only.

Rusty.

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