Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and get into what the ocean’s really serving up for our stretch of coast. It’s a tale of two parts this fortnight: a punchy, powerful start, then a lull that’ll test your patience before things start to wake up again.

The main event is all about this coming Wednesday and Thursday. We’ve got a proper pulse of southwest groundswell rolling in, and Chinamans is going to be the spot to be. It’s a reef break, so it handles this kind of energy perfectly. First light on Wednesday the 12th, we’re looking at head-high to well-overhead surf, around 12ft, with a solid 17-second period. The energy is pumping – we're talking a combined swell energy of 12038 in the morning – and the water's a warm 59°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is the one let-down, as it’s cross-shore, which will put a bit of lump on the surface. Still, this is the biggest, most powerful swell we’re going to see. It’s a lot of water, so this one’s for the experienced crew only.

Thursday the 13th holds onto that size, with 10ft surf and a similar long-period SW swell, but the wind eases off a touch to a moderate cross-shore. The energy drops back a notch into the four-thousands (4136), but it’s still a solid, powerful day. Given the size and the wind, I’d be looking at this as a slightly easier, but still serious, option compared to Wednesday. Once you get past Friday, that big swell starts to fade, and we're left with a few days of junky, cross-onshore conditions. It’s not going to be pretty, so maybe leave the board in the car for the weekend.

That brings us to a dry spell. From Sunday the 16th through to Tuesday the 25th, it's a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. We’re mostly looking at small, weak swell (the energy readings rarely get above 2000) and periods that aren't doing us any favors. There are a few cleaner windows with offshore or light winds, especially around the 20th and 21st, but the swell just isn't there to make it worthwhile. It’s a long, flat stretch, but don’t get too down. Forecasts can change, and it never stays this bleak for long around here.

Now, keep an eye on the very end of the window. Around Wednesday the 26th of August, there are hints of some life again. We’re looking at a solid 8ft SW swell rolling in with that long 16-second period, and best of all, the wind is forecast to be offshore. The energy is back up there (4317), and it's looking clean. It’s a week and a half away, so treat it as a promising thought rather than a certainty, but it has the makings of a proper standout session. That’s the one I’d be circling on the calendar.

Forget the flat days in between. The big two are Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th for pure power, and keep your fingers crossed for the 26th for a clean, solid payoff at the end.

Rusty out.

Read more