Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s period, SW swell with 2,525 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Chinamans this week:
The surf forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chinamans in the next 16 days are 2.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Chinamans.
The window starts Saturday, 12th September with a clean 6 ft SW groundswell, but it’s only a marginal call. The water’s at 59°F which is about average for this time of year. Sunday and Monday see the swell drop a bit and the wind picks up, making things cross-off or onshore and choppy. Nothing to get excited about there.
Tuesday the 15th is a total washout with a solid 8 ft onshore swell and strong wind—poor conditions, don’t even think about it. That messy run keeps going through Wednesday with bumpy 8 ft surf.
Then, on Thursday the 17th, things turn around. The afternoon brings a glassy calm with a clean 5 ft SW swell. The energy is moderate (756), but the glassy surface will be a dream. This is one of the better windows early on.
Friday the 18th is a standout. Morning has a clean 4 ft SW groundswell with a very long 17 second period and a solid offshore wind from the NNW. The energy is moderate (831) but the lines will be clean and lined up. Afternoon stays clean with a 4 ft 16-second swell and gentle offshore. This is your pick for the first week.
Saturday the 19th morning is blown out by a strong 25 mph offshore wind—too hard to paddle into. The afternoon cleans up with a fresh offshore and a 7 ft W swell, but it’s only marginal.
The middle of the next week, around Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd September, gets a bit lumpy with onshore winds and bigger swell jumping up to 10 ft. That’s expert territory, but the wind is messy.
Now, looking further out, Wednesday 23rd September afternoon is another cracker. Glassy conditions again, with a 8 ft SW swell at 15 seconds. That’s excellent for experienced surfers. The energy is strong (2359). Clean face, no wind—this is a standout for the second week.
Thursday 24th September afternoon also looks prime: a clean 7 ft SW swell with a very long 17 second period and light offshore wind. The energy is very strong (2931). This is another top pick.
Friday 25th September sees the swell building to 8 ft with a long 18 second period, but it gets a light cross-onshore ripple. The energy gets huge (5916) but the wind is just a breath on it. Still a solid option.
After that, Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September fade out with dropping swell and improving wind, leaving clean but smaller surf to close the run.
Overall, the best on offer are the glassy afternoon of Thursday 17th September and the clean offshore sessions on Friday 18th September for the first week, then the glassy Wednesday 23rd September and the clean Thursday 24th September afternoons for the second week.
Cheers, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 21°C on Sat night, min 12°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1374 | 671 | 823 | 1273 | 893 | 788 | 504 | 1225 | 2457 | 2391 | 2278 | 2525 | 2422 | 1761 | 965 | 754 | 511 | 831 | 644 | 355 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:51AM0.82m | 2:58PM0.75m | 3:15AM0.88m | 3:16PM0.68m | 3:39AM0.92m | 3:32PM0.60m | 4:02AM0.91m | 3:40PM0.53m | 4:25AM0.88m | 3:39PM0.48m | 4:48AM0.82m | 3:20PM0.45m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:44PM0.04m | 9:00AM0.04m | 8:56PM0.02m | 9:32AM0.06m | 9:08PM0.02m | 10:02AM0.10m | 9:19PM0.02m | 10:31AM0.16m | 9:29PM0.03m | 10:57AM0.25m | 9:36PM0.04m | 11:22AM0.34m | 9:38PM0.06m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 20 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | N 5 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 1374 | 671 | 823 | 4 | 322 | 788 | 197 | 1225 | 2457 | 2391 | 2278 | 2525 | 2422 | 1761 | 965 | 754 | 511 | 831 | 644 | 355 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 14 | N 5 | NNE 5 | — | SW 19 | SW 18 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | SW 20 | — | — | W 6 |
| kJ | — | 387 | 11 | 4 | — | 95 | 80 | 289 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 190 | — | — | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 4 | — | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 252 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 4 | WNW 3 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 5 | WSW 12 | — | — | SSE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | E 4 | ENE 3 | — | N 4 | N 4 | NNE 3 |
| kJ | — | 39 | 4 | 1273 | 893 | 36 | 504 | — | — | 5 | 16 | 11 | 20 | 21 | 8 | 2 | — | 13 | 7 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 79 | 7 | 7 | 160 | 46 | 138 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Chinamans surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Chinamans Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Chinamans provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Chinamans can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Chinamans surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Chinamans) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Chinamans may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Yorke Peninsula? If you are looking for accommodation near Chinamans, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Yorke Peninsula, consider staying in Kingscote which is 80 km (50 miles) away.
Nearest