Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Imperial version:

Alright, let’s talk about Chinamans. This is a reef break that needs a solid SW swell and clean conditions to really shine, and we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The water temperature is sitting at 60°F right now, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The combined swell energy is strong through the first few days, with values like 3314 on Thursday, but the wind is just not playing ball early on. Thursday the 10th is a write-off – strong cross-onshore winds at 16 mph making a mess of that 8ft SW groundswell. Not worth paddling out. Friday the 11th is still pretty average, with cross-shore winds and a 6ft to 7ft swell, but the energy is still moderate to strong (1491-1983). Things start to look up on Saturday the 12th. A clean morning with light NE winds, 6ft SW swell, and the energy is solid at 1456. By Saturday afternoon, the wind shifts to a light NNE cross-offshore, and the swell drops to a cleaner 5ft with 1265 energy – this is a good window for experienced surfers. That’s your first real standout: clean, offshore-influenced, solid SW groundswell.

Sunday the 13th morning has fresh offshore winds from the north at 19 mph, but the swell drops to 4ft, and the energy is down to 823. It’s rideable, but the wind is a bit strong. Monday the 14th is a drop-off day with small swell.

Then we hit a bit of a lull, but it gets interesting again. The big standout window is Wednesday the 16th. After days of messy cross-onshore wind, Wednesday afternoon goes glassy with a 8ft SW groundswell pumping in at 2329 energy. The wind is dead calm – glassy conditions. That’s an epic session for experienced surfers, but with that size (8ft) and a 15-second period, it’s a groundswell that will be breaking quite straight at a beach break, but this is a reef, so it should handle it well. For a chest-to-head-high day, that’s the best on offer.

Thursday the 17th morning keeps it clean with moderate offshore winds from the north, 5ft swell, and 1092 energy – still very good, but a step down. The following weekend, Saturday the 19th has a fresh offshore wind but the swell is small (3ft to 4ft). Then Sunday the 20th afternoon the wind goes nasty, and by Monday the 21st through Wednesday the 23rd, we get a massive pulse of 10ft SW swell, but the wind is either cross-onshore or onshore, blowing 16 to 19 mph, with energy values hitting 4711, 4117, 6473 – that’s very strong swell energy, but it’s rough and choppy, only for the hardcore or those with a kite. The final window on Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th is cleaner with moderate cross-offshore winds, but the swell is still 7ft to 8ft. Friday the 25th afternoon has a 8ft SW swell, 3231 energy, and cross-offshore winds – that’s promising, but it’s far out.

Overall, the absolute standout is Wednesday the 16th afternoon: glassy, 8ft SW groundswell, reef break. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The rest of the period is either too windy, too small, or too messy for a proper session.

Rusty

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