Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into this one.

The outlook starts off with a bit of a wait. The first few days are a write-off with strong winds and poor surf, so you’re looking at a gap of almost three days before the conditions start to turn.

Chinamans is the only break on the radar. It’s a reef setup for advanced surfers, and it’s fairly consistent, but the early wind is killing it. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is about normal for this time of year with a 0.8° anomaly – nothing to worry about there.

The first real chance to wet a line comes on Friday the 11th in the morning. The swell is down to 6 ft from the SW, but the wind is cross-shore and light, so it’s just marginal. The combined energy is weak (1368), so it’s small and choppy, but the afternoon improves a little with a 6 ft swell and even lighter wind.

Saturday the 12th is the first standout. The morning sees a 6 ft SW swell with a clean cross-offshore breeze and a moderate energy (1297). The afternoon holds 5 ft and stays clean. This is the best window in the early part – clean, manageable, and the wind is your friend.

Sunday the 13th is a treat. The morning drops to 4 ft, but the wind is solid offshore out of the north. The afternoon is glassy with a light cross-offshore and a 4 ft swell. The energy is low (788), but the surf is very clean. This is a proper session for the patient surfer.

Then the surf fades out for a few days. Monday and Tuesday are poor with cross-onshore winds and small, weak swell. By Wednesday the 16th, the swell picks up to 8 ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s choppy and marginal.

Thursday the 17th afternoon is another highlight. The swell drops to 5 ft, but the wind swings offshore from the NNW and it’s glassy clean. Combined energy is a modest 780, but the quality makes up for it.

The second week brings a big upswing. Friday the 18th morning has a 6 ft SW swell with a fresh offshore wind – clean and punchy. But the real standout is Saturday the 19th morning. A 10 ft SW swell with a fresh offshore NNW wind, clean as a whistle. The combined energy is 4005 – moderate to strong. This is big, powerful groundswell with a period of 15 seconds. It’s going to be a ripper for expert surfers, but that size and period will make it a bit too much for beginners. The long period means it’ll hold up well at the reef, so expect long, clean lines.

Sunday the 20th keeps the size going with a 10 ft to 12 ft SW swell. The wind stays cross-offshore and clean, but it’s only for experienced crew.

Monday the 21st is a write-off again with strong cross-onshore winds blowing out an 12 ft swell. After that, Tuesday the 22nd sees the same size swell but with lighter wind, and the combined energy jumps to 11691 (very strong). The period is 18 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell. It’s going to be a beast, but the wind is cross-shore to cross-onshore, so it’ll be lumpy. A real heavy-duty session for the brave.

Wednesday the 23rd closes out the window with a 10 ft SW swell and a clean cross-offshore breeze. Solid, but not the standout.

Overall, the best on offer is Saturday the 19th morning for the expert crew, with that big, clean 10 ft SW groundswell. The second best is Sunday the 13th afternoon for the smaller, glassy conditions.

Keep your eyes on the long-range – the second week looks promising, but it’s a bit of a gamble with the wind.

Rusty.

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