Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up, this is Rusty. We’ve only got one spot on the menu for this outlook, and that’s Chinamans, a reef break. Water temp is sitting at a pretty average 60°F, nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year. The crowd meter says "sometimes", so you might have to share the peak, but it’s not a circus.

Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a flat start this Wednesday morning. The swell is a solid 8ft with a long period of 18 seconds from the SW, so there’s raw power (combined energy 3483), but the east-northeast cross-wind is messing it up, making for marginal, lumpy conditions. Not worth paddling out for a beating.

Thursday is where we start to see the light. Morning has 4ft SW swell with periods of 15 seconds (combined energy 996) and a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-northeast. It’ll be clean and rideable. But the real standout is Thursday afternoon. The wind swings to a clean offshore from the NNW at 6 mph, the swell jumps to a meaty 6ft from the SW with a solid 17-second period (combined energy 2134). This is excellent, proper reef-swell energy for experienced surfers.

Friday keeps the good vibes rolling with fresh offshore winds (NNW 12 mph) through the morning. The swell is solid at 5ft, 15-second period from the SW (combined energy 1232), and it’s clean. The afternoon stays clean with offshore winds, but the swell drops a touch to 5ft.

Then things get ugly. Saturday morning, we get slammed. Southwest winds crank up to 28 mph with a cross-shore direction, the swell jumps to a messy 10ft with a short period of just 9 seconds (combined energy 1385). That’s poor surf, a blustery mess. It gets worse into the afternoon with near gale-force winds. Sunday and Monday are still blown out with strong winds and massive, lumpy swell. Honestly, from Saturday through to Tuesday morning, it’s a write-off for a decent paddle. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We finally get a breather on Thursday, 16 July. Thursday morning glass-off! Zero wind, 6ft of SW swell at 14 seconds (combined energy 1238). It’ll be clean, with some nice lines.

Friday 17 July keeps the quality with clean morning conditions and a 5ft SW swell (combined energy 1855). The crowd might show up though. Saturday 18 July is another standout morning – moderate offshore winds from the NNW, a solid 7ft SW swell with a 14-second period (combined energy 3143). For an experienced surfer, that’s a proper session.

After that, the wind gets too strong again for a day or so, but there’s another promising window at the very end. Wednesday 22 July afternoon goes glassy again with a 10ft SW swell (combined energy 4306), which is a big, clean ocean for those who can handle it. Thursday 23 July morning also looks excellent with moderate offshore winds and an 8ft SW swell (combined energy 3625).

The very best of the whole period? I’d have to say Thursday afternoon (July 9) for the clean, powerful offshore lines and Thursday morning (July 16) for the pure, glassy perfection.

Rusty.

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