Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 19s period, SW swell with 7,741 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 17s period. 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 3.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Howdy, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Chinamans, a solid reef break that can handle a proper swell.
The Big Picture
We start off slow, build into some real size, and have a couple of magic windows for clean surf. The water’s sitting at 60°F, pretty normal for this time of year.
Early Days (Tuesday 7th to Wednesday 8th July)
Tuesday the 7th is a scratch. Cross-breeze and a cross-chop on a 4ft SW swell with a long 16-second period. The wave energy is moderate at 896 and 1064, but the wind kills it. Wednesday the 8th jumps to 8ft in the morning from the SW, 18-second period, energy at 3483, but still a cross-shore wind. Afternoon drops to 7ft with a cross-onshore. Frustrating – good swell, bad conditions.
The First Standout – Thursday 9th and Friday 10th July
Now we’re cooking. Thursday morning the 9th, light cross-offshore wind from the north, 5ft SW swell, 15-second period, energy 1083 (moderate). Clean. Afternoon has a light offshore from the NW, 4ft SW swell, energy 1479 – even cleaner.
Friday the 10th is a gem. Offshore NNW winds at 12 mph all day. Swell holds at 5ft from the SW, 15-second period, energies 1232 and 1134 (moderate). Clean, lined-up long-period swell on a reef. For advanced surfers, this is the pick of the first week. Crowds are possible sometimes, but it’s worth it.
Weekend Blowout (Saturday 11th to Sunday 12th July)
Saturday the 11th gets ugly. Swell hits 8ft from the WSW with 25 mph winds. Afternoon drops to a short 9-second chop. Sunday the 12th is massive: 10ft SW swell, fresh cross-offshore at 22 mph – clean but only for experts.
Mid-Week Build (Monday 13th to Tuesday 14th July)
Monday the 13th goes big. Afternoon swell reaches 12ft from the SW, 19-second period, energy at 8876 (strong). Moderate cross-shore wind at 16 mph creates a lumpy chop, but the power is unreal. Expert only. Tuesday the 14th drops to 8ft with a light cross-shore.
Another Clean Window – Thursday 16th and Friday 17th July
Thursday the 16th: gentle cross-offshore from the NE in the morning, 5ft SW swell, 15 seconds, clean. Afternoon has a gentle offshore from the north, 5ft SW swell – clean and smooth. Friday the 17th is even better: offshore north winds at 12 mph, 6ft SW swell in the afternoon, 18-second period, energy 1946. A standout session.
The Big Finale – Saturday 18th and Tuesday 21st July
Saturday the 18th sees offshore winds at 22 mph from the NNW, 10ft swell from the WSW, 17-second period, and a massive energy of 9713 (strong). That’s a true groundswell on a reef. Only for experts. Tuesday the 21st is similar: offshore at 22 mph, 10ft SW swell, 18-second period, energy 6132. Both are big-wave days.
The Best of the Bunch
For clean, manageable fun, lock in Thursday the 9th through Friday the 10th, and then Friday the 17th. For the big-wave crew, Saturday the 18th is the one, but it’s far out so keep checking.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat afternoon). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the NNW on Fri morning, strong winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 886 | 1055 | 1112 | 3483 | 2355 | 1532 | 844 | 777 | 1764 | 1232 | 1138 | 736 | 2392 | 1185 | 1771 | 2866 | 2774 | 3606 | 3827 | 7741 | 5562 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:03PM0.75m | 6:51AM0.71m | 5:04PM0.64m | 8:06AM0.78m | 9:43AM0.87m | 11:10AM0.97m | 12:14PM1.07m | 1:22AM0.26m | 1:06PM1.16m | 1:50AM0.30m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 11:07AM0.44m | 11:54PM0.26m | 12:23PM0.52m | 00:07AM0.25m | 00:21AM0.23m | 00:38AM0.23m | 1:01AM0.23m | 9:31PM0.21m | 3:57AM0.24m | 9:29PM0.18m | |||||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 886 | 1055 | 746 | 3483 | 2355 | 1532 | 844 | 777 | 1764 | 1232 | 1138 | 736 | — | — | — | — | 59 | 348 | 1920 | 7741 | 5562 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 22 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1112 | — | — | — | 239 | 702 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | 148 | 1135 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 476 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | ENE 4 | E 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | WSW 14 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | — | — |
| kJ | 10 | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 17 | 31 | 2392 | 1185 | 1771 | 2866 | 2774 | 3606 | 3827 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1034 | 729 | 1034 | 1200 | 1326 | 729 | 1189 | 1189 | 11 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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