Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a seat and listen up. This is a pretty tidy run of waves we’ve got coming through for Chinamans, starting on Thursday morning, August 27th.

Water’s sitting at 59°, which is pretty much bang on normal for this time of year, so no need to dig out the extra rubber.

We kick off Thursday morning with a clean 4 ft SW swell, period 14 seconds, and a NNW offshore breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 910, and the lines will be clean. It’s a solid start. Thursday afternoon gets even better: the swell bumps up to 5 ft, still from the SW, period 14, but the wind swings light N offshore. The energy jumps to a strong 1849. This is a good session for experienced surfers – the reef will be handling that swell nicely.

Friday morning, the 28th, sees a bigger pulse of 7 ft SW groundswell, period 16 seconds – that’s a long period, meaning more energy and shape. But the wind is light cross-shore from the ENE, so it’s not as clean as Thursday. The energy is very strong at 2537. Friday afternoon drops a touch to 7 ft, cross-on ESE wind, so the quality takes a hit. Saturday, the 29th, is similar with small, average conditions.

The standouts are Sunday afternoon, Monday, and then again much later in the period.

Sunday morning, August 30th, is small at 3 ft with a 20-second period – that’s a very long groundswell, but it’s cross-on and messy. Don’t bother. But Sunday afternoon! Glassy as, 3 ft, period 19 seconds, and the energy is 1129. It’s a magic window for a longboard if the swell finds the banks. Very clean.

Now, Monday, August 31st, is your best bet. Monday morning starts with 6 ft SW swell, 15-second period, NNE cross-off breeze, and energy at 2510. Clean. But Monday afternoon is the winner: 8 ft SW, 18-second period, light N offshore breeze, and a massive 3087 energy reading. This is proper, lined-up swell for Chinamans. It’s a standout.

Tuesday, September 1st, looks tricky. The morning has a strong 25 mph NNW offshore, but that’s a gale-force wind that makes paddling out a nightmare. The swell is 5 ft but the energy is still strong at 1281. It’s clean but only for the brave. The rest of the week into early September becomes a bit of a gap with onshore and cross-off winds, moderate chop, and the swell hanging around 7 ft to 8 ft. It’s not terrible, but not the best.

Then we get a second pulse. The real heavy stuff arrives from September 6th onwards. Saturday morning, September 5th, is small again. But Sunday, September 6th, sees a massive 12 ft SW swell, 14-second period, with a huge 5191 energy. The wind is onshore, though, so it’s not for the faint of heart. Monday the 7th has 10 ft, and by Wednesday the 9th, we’re looking at 12 ft SW swell with 16-second period and energy reading 8866. That’s a monster. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but this is expert territory only. Friday, September 11th, wraps it up with a 10 ft SW swell, 16-second period, and a clean offshore N breeze. That’s a big, powerful day for the pros.

So, if you’re looking for the best, don’t overthink it: Thursday afternoon, August 27th, for clean 5 ft surf, and Monday afternoon, August 31st, for a solid 8 ft, long period, offshore gem. The late period from September 9th to 11th is for the big-wave crew only.

Keep it salty.

Rusty

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