Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Chinamans. It’s a reef break that only works for advanced surfers – not a place for learners – and it fires on a solid SW groundswell. It’s fairly consistent, but when it’s good, it’s a gem.

Water temp is around 60°F, right on average for this time of year – no weird anomalies, just normal winter chill.

We’ve got a slow start. Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th are pretty average – small, choppy, cross-shore breezes, not worth gettin’ wet. Wednesday the 8th starts to show some promise. Wednesday morning has a 2.4m (8 ft) SW swell with an 18-second period – proper groundswell, heaps of energy (3483). Wind’s a gentle cross-off from the NE, so it’s clean. That’s decent but it’s on the bigger side for the average bloke. Keep in mind, crowds can pop up here sometimes.

The real standout windows are Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th. Thursday afternoon: 1.1m (4 ft) of long-period SW groundswell (18 sec), clean cross-off from the N, moderate energy (1276). That’s a beauty – clean, reeling lines for the experienced surfer.

But Friday the 10th is the one to circle. Morning and arvo both have offshore NNW winds at 25 km/h (16 mph), keeping the face smooth. Swell’s 1.8m and 1.6m (6 ft and 5 ft) from the SW, period around 15 seconds – a proper groundswell. Energy is moderate to strong (1474 and 1062). Offshore wind, SW groundswell, clean conditions – that’s Chinamans at its best.

Saturday the 11th gets wild – strong WNW winds hit 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph), and the swell jumps to 3.0m (10 ft) with a short, messy 8-second period. That’s kite-surfing territory. Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th stay big – 3.5m to 4.0m (12 to 13 ft) – but the winds are howlin’ from the west, creating chaos. Too big, too blown. Tuesday the 14th still has solid 2.3m (8 ft) SW swell but it’s cross-shore and messy.

Wednesday the 15th looks rough – cross-onshore SSW winds and choppy conditions.

Now here’s the next true standout: Thursday the 16th. Morning has 2.5m (8 ft) SW swell with a 16-second period – strong energy (3622) – and a light cross-shore from the ENE. But the afternoon is the gem: 2.4m (8 ft) SW groundswell (15 sec) with glassy conditions – 0 mph wind. Dead calm. That’s a gift. Energy is strong (2655). For the experienced surfer, that’s the session.

Friday the 17th offers clean offshore N winds at 25 km/h (16 mph) with 1.5m (5 ft) SW swell – good option. Saturday the 18th has strong offshore NNW winds at 40 km/h (25 mph) – clean but a mission to paddle out. After that, Sunday the 19th onward gets ugly – big winds, onshore, lumpy, blown out. Stay home.

To wrap it up: Friday the 10th is the pick – offshore, clean, solid SW groundswell with proper period. If you miss that, Thursday the 16th afternoon with glassy conditions is a close second. The second week goes to crap after that.

Rusty out.

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