Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Looks like we’re in for a wild ride at Chinamans over the next couple of weeks, but you’ll have to be patient. There’s a big gap of pretty ordinary conditions before we get to anything worth paddling out for.

The immediate picture is dominated by a massive, powerful swell. Starting Saturday the 5th, we’ve got a serious SW groundswell pushing through, with wave heights around 12 feet and a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s a ton of energy in the water (5374), but it’s not doing us any favours right now. The wind is howling from the W at 31 mph, making it a cross-off mess – poor surf conditions. This weekend is a write-off for surfing; the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

That heavy swell hangs around into Sunday the 6th, though it drops slightly to 8 feet from the SW, period 14 seconds, with lighter 6 mph winds swinging south and becoming cross-on. Still, the rating is marginal at best. The energy stays high, and it’s just not clean enough to get excited about.

From Monday the 7th through to Saturday the 12th of September, it’s a slog. The swell drops and rises, but onshore and cross-on winds from the SE and ESE keep the surface choppy and messy. On Tuesday the 8th there’s a brief window with 7 feet SW swell and a very long period of 17 seconds, but onshore winds spoil it. The wave energy fluctuates, but the quality never lifts above marginal. Honestly, you’re better off staying home.

Now, here’s the standout. Sunday the 13th of September is the one to circle. The morning brings a clean, offshore breeze from the NNE at just 6 mph, and a clean 5 feet SW swell with a 14-second period. The combined wave energy (1174) is moderate, but the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. The offshore wind will have the reef line-up looking smooth as glass. Afternoon stays clean with a 4 feet SW swell and almost no wind – also very good, just smaller. This is the pick of the month.

We then hit another dry spell from Monday the 14th through Wednesday the 16th with tiny swells and fresh onshore winds – don’t bother.

But wait, there’s more. Thursday the 17th of September fires up again. Morning brings a clean 4 feet SW swell with a light offshore from the NNW, and the afternoon steps it up: 5 feet SW swell, period 14 seconds, with a gentle offshore from the north causing clean conditions. The rating here is excellent for experienced surfers. Another great day.

After that, Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th stay rideable with 5 to 6 feet SW swell, but the winds become more cross-off or variable, dropping the quality back to marginal. Sunday the 20th looks promising in the data with a solid 7 feet SW groundswell and a very long 19-second period, but strong westerly winds at 22 mph keep it a question mark for now.

Bottom line: Chinamans is a powerful, exposed reef break suited to advanced surfers. Don’t rush out this weekend. Wait for Sunday the 13th or Thursday the 17th – those are your two true standouts with clean winds and solid SW groundswell.

Rusty.

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