Chinamans Surf Break

Lat Long: 35.29° S 136.87° E

Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 2 pm 07 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Chinamans sea temperature is
15.2°C
0.7° 

Chinamans surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Chinamans surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 19s period, SW swell with 6,702 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 3s. 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 3.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 9AM.

Wave TypeTime (ACST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3AM (Sat 12th Sep)5.5ft (1.7m) 16s
Best Surf 3AM (Sat 12th Sep)5.5ft (1.7m) 16s
Most Powerful 9AM (Wed 9th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 19s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the next couple of weeks for Chinamans. It’s a bumpy start, but there are a couple of real windows if you play it smart. Water temps are pretty much normal for the season, nothing weird there.

The first few days are not worth the hassle. Monday the 7th has small, wonky surf with an onshore breeze making it a choppy mess. Tuesday the 8th sees the swell jump to a solid 7ft, but the wind is poor and the surface gets torn up, especially later in the day. There’s some energy in the water, but it’s not clean.

Things get proper grunty on Wednesday the 9th, with a big 10ft to 12ft pulse that has massive power behind it, but the strong onshore wind will kill it. That’s a day for watching, not paddling. The wind stays onshore through Thursday the 10th, keeping the 8ft surf lumpy and hard to ride.

We finally see some relief on Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th. Friday has a smaller 6ft to 6ft with a light cross-shore breeze, so it’s scrappy but cleaner. Saturday the 12th is the first genuine highlight. It’s a clean 5ft dropping to 5ft in the afternoon with a nice cross-offshore wind. Not huge, but it’s clean and fun. The energy is moderate and the conditions are finally good. That’s your first real wave.

Sunday the 13th sees the swell drop to 4ft, but the early morning has a fresh offshore wind and the afternoon is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s small but clean. Then we hit another dodgy patch on Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th where the wind gets messy and the waves get smaller and chopped up.

The swell comes back with a vengeance for the middle of next week. Tuesday the 15th sees a 7ft pulse, but it’s onshore and messy. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th keep the size around 7ft to 8ft, but the cross-shore and onshore winds keep things lumpy. A lot of water moving, but not great quality.

The main event is looking like it’s going to be Saturday the 20th of September. After a smaller Friday, we’re expecting a clean 8ft of SW groundswell with a light cross-offshore breeze. This one has the size, the direction, and the clean conditions all lining up. It’s a week and a half out, so we can’t lock it in fully, but it’s the one I’d be marking on the calendar.

It fades out after that with smaller, cleaner waves on the 21st and a long-period swell on the 22nd that could be interesting if the wind plays ball. But for my money, that Saturday the 20th is the standout. Get it in the diary.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Tue morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Tue night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat night, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Fri morning, fresh winds from the N by Sun morning).

Mon
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
3
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
SW
14
1.6
SW
19
2.1
SW
17
2.1
SW
16
2.2
SW
16
3
SW
19
3.5
SW
18
3
SW
16
2.5
SW
16
2.4
SW
16
1.8
SW
15
1.7
SW
15
1.8
SW
16
1.8
SW
16
1.6
SW
15
1.5
SW
15
1
SW
17
1.3
SW
16
1.3
SW
16
1.1
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
588
1691
2622
2326
2404
6702
6545
4553
3714
2692
1460
1229
1571
1651
1216
975
582
834
803
550
Wind (km/h)
15
ESE
15
ESE
10
SSE
20
SW
30
SSE
35
SE
30
SE
25
ESE
25
ESE
20
E
25
E
15
ENE
10
ESE
15
ENE
15
NNE
15
N
20
NNE
35
N
15
NW
10
WNW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
12:33PM0.85m
2:08AM0.36m
1:12PM0.89m
1:56AM0.47m
1:43PM0.90m
2:08AM0.60m
2:11PM0.87m
2:29AM0.72m
2:36PM0.82m
2:51AM0.82m
2:58PM0.75m
3:15AM0.88m
Low Tide
9:04PM0.10m
8:31PM0.11m
6:00AM0.26m
8:23PM0.10m
7:02AM0.17m
8:25PM0.08m
7:47AM0.09m
8:34PM0.06m
8:25AM0.05m
8:44PM0.04m
9:00AM0.04m
8:56PM0.02m
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:31
6:30
6:28
6:26
6:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:07
6:07
6:07
6:08
6:09
6:09
6:10
 mm
Temp °C
13
11
12
12
12
12
12
10
11
12
12
14
15
16
17
19
20
20
20
16
Feels °C
10
9
11
7
6
4
6
4
6
7
9
12
13
13
13
15
15
14
18
15
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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