
Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 9 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 7,316 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s 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 Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 16s 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 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Chinamans.
This outlook covers a full 16 days, but there’s a bit of a rough patch in the middle. The first few days show some solid, clean groundswell but it's big, so this spot is for the experienced crew only. We get an early standout, then a ugly blowout, then some more decent windows if you time the tides and winds right.
Starting off Friday, July 10th, the morning is where it’s at. We’ve got a 6 ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period and a light offshore wind from the NNW. That’s glassy conditions for an expert reef break. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild. The combined energy is solid at 1349 (moderate wave energy), meaning there’s some push behind those sets. This is the best session of the opening window – the lineup will be clean, groomed by that offshore breeze. Crowds can be a factor here sometimes, so get out early.
Friday afternoon the swell eases a bit to 5 ft and the energy drops to 952, still clean but maybe a bit tide-sensitive.
Saturday July 11th is a write-off. A near gale (31 mph) out of the SW and WSW smashes the place with 10 ft to 12 ft of cross-shore junk. Avoid it. Sunday and Monday (July 12th and 13th) come back with cleaner, cross-offshore winds but the swell is still pumping at 8 ft to 10 ft, with very long period (13 to 16 seconds). The combined energy is high (2636 to 5172). These are big, powerful groundswells. For a reef like Chinamans, that means serious, critical walls. Only for the well-experienced. It’s not a beginner’s day – anything over 8 ft is expert territory.
Tuesday July 14th is back to poor conditions with strong cross-onshore winds. A gap starts to open up with poor quality.
Wednesday July 15th is another standout. The morning shows a 7 ft SW groundswell at 15 seconds, offshore light breeze from the N at only 6 mph, combined energy of 2150. The conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon holds at 7 ft with gentle offshore from the NNW. This is your clean second window – light wind, long period lines. You’ll be trading those longer lulls for bigger, cleaner waves.
Thursday July 16th drops in size – 5 ft to 4 ft – but stays clean with offshore winds through the afternoon. It’s a solid option for someone wanting a slightly smaller, less intense session.
There’s then a run of cleaner but not perfect days from July 17th to the 18th, but the wind picks up strong (25 mph) on the 18th, making it hard to even paddle into the 3 ft leftovers. A few days of marginal quality follow, until we hit a big jump in size on July 20th and 21st.
From July 21st Tuesday afternoon, we’re back to an awesome window. A 8 ft SW groundswell at 11 seconds, light offshore from the NNW, combined energy 1745. Clean, lined up, and much more manageable in size. This is another top pick – the wind is light, the sets are solid.
Wednesday July 22nd holds clean offshore through the afternoon with a 6 ft, 19-second groundswell – that’s a very long period. At Chinamans, a reef setup, this kind of period can produce extremely long, down-the-line walls. The energy is 2633. It’s a connoisseur’s wave.
But the absolute highlight of the whole forecast is Thursday July 23rd. Morning session: 10 ft of SW groundswell, 16-second period, offshore wind from the NW at 12 mph, combined energy of 4970. That’s a serious swell with excellent conditions for experts. The afternoon still holds good but with stronger wind. This is the one to circle on the calendar if you’ve got the skills. It’s big (over 8 ft), it’s powerful, and it’s clean.
After that, the swell drops and the wind turns nasty on July 25th, ending the run.
So to wrap it up: The best two standouts are Friday July 10th morning for the classic clean start, and Thursday July 23rd for the biggest, cleanest groundswell of the series. Wednesday July 15th and Tuesday July 21st afternoon are also crackers. Everything over 8 ft is only for the experienced – this is no learner’s wave.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Thu night, near gales from the WSW by Sat afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 13°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sun night, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thu 16 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 8 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1613 | 1349 | 949 | 668 | 1048 | 2928 | 3478 | 2636 | 2010 | 5326 | 4414 | 4223 | 6508 | 5691 | 4605 | 3062 | 2150 | 1738 | 1187 | 874 | 696 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 9:43AM0.87m | 11:10AM0.97m | 12:14PM1.07m | 1:22AM0.26m | 1:06PM1.16m | 1:50AM0.30m | 1:51PM1.21m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:32PM1.22m | 2:54AM0.45m | 3:09PM1.19m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 00:21AM0.23m | 00:38AM0.23m | 1:01AM0.23m | 9:31PM0.21m | 3:57AM0.24m | 9:29PM0.18m | 5:42AM0.21m | 9:42PM0.16m | 6:52AM0.17m | 10:00PM0.16m | 7:50AM0.15m | ||||||||||
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | |
— | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | |
mm | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 17 | SW 20 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
1613 | 1349 | 949 | 668 | — | — | — | — | 100 | 5326 | 309 | 949 | 3146 | 2939 | 2234 | 3062 | 2150 | 1738 | 1187 | 874 | 696 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 22 | SSW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 19 |
— | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 118 | 253 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 107 | 278 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 11 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 4 | NW 4 | WNW 5 | WSW 8 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 14 | 16 | 66 | 1048 | 2928 | 3478 | 2636 | 2010 | 3761 | 4414 | 4223 | 6508 | 5691 | 4605 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 74 | 138 | 728 | 911 | 1186 | 1186 | 1331 | 729 | 1034 | 1292 | 729 | 546 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











