Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The long-range model is showing us a proper run of southwest groundswell for Chinamans, and it’s a mixed bag – plenty of size, but we gotta work around the wind and the tide to find the clean ones.

First up, this Saturday morning (August 8th) has 6ft of SW swell with a 16-second period. The energy is strong (1626), and it’s cross-offshore from the N at 19 mph, so it’ll be clean. But the forecast is calling it marginal due to tide. It’s a bit of a challenge— a grunty, critical reef wave that’ll have some push. Take the afternoon window, the wind eases to 12 mph and it stays clean.

Sunday (August 9th) is similar early, 5ft with N winds, but the afternoon is where it’s at. A fresh NNW offshore at 19 mph cleans up that 6ft swell, and the energy jumps to 2012. That’s a proper window— expect some hollow, fast walls. It’s still a spot for experienced surfers only, but this will be one of the better sessions of the week.

Then Monday (August 10th) brings the big one. Swell jumps to 12ft with a 17-second period, and the energy is huge— 7178 in the morning, peaking at 10674 in the afternoon. This is a big, powerful southwest groundswell. The morning is a mess with strong cross-shore SW winds (22 mph), so it’ll be lumpy and hard to manage. The afternoon cleans up with a W cross-off at 19 mph, and while it’s still big, it could be the standout if you’re a serious charger. This is well over 8ft, so it’s experts only. As a beach and reef setup, the long period might make it break a bit straight in sections, but the power will be there.

Tuesday (August 11th) drops back to 6ft, but the wind is howling offshore from the NNW at 25-28 mph. It’s clean, but that strong offshore will make it tough to get into and hold your line. The energy is moderate (1179-1601). It’ll be a battle.

Wednesday (August 12th) is a write-off. Another 12ft pulse, but the wind is near gale-force W at 31 mph, making it a complete mess. Don’t even look at it.

We get some relief on Thursday (August 13th) – the swell eases to 12ft in the morning, dropping to 10ft in the afternoon, with a moderate W cross-off. The energy is still strong (5341 and 3710). It’s clean, but that size is still heavy and the period is up there. This is a day for the big-wave crew, but the quality is much better than earlier in the week.

Friday (August 14th) the wind turns cross-onshore from the SW, putting a chop on the 10ft swell. It’s a messy one, and the energy is still high (4984). Not worth it.

Now, here’s the gem. Saturday morning (August 15th) the wind drops to glassy, a slight air from the SSW. The swell has eased to 8ft with a 16-second period, and the energy is solid (2768). This is clean. The forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This will be the pick of the week – big, clean, and glassy. A proper day out at Chinamans.

Sunday (August 16th) onwards, the swell backs off to 6ft and the wind goes light cross-onshore from the ESE. It’s smaller and a bit bumpy. The energy drops to moderate. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

The following week starts to fade. Monday (August 17th) is smaller again, 5ft, with light cross-onshore winds. Tuesday (August 18th) looks better with a clean cross-off NE wind and a new pulse of 6-7ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period. The energy is moderate (2318), but that long period will make it a bit straight at a beach break, and this is a reef. It could be a fun one, but less critical.

Wednesday (August 19th) keeps the 6ft SW swell with moderate NNE cross-off winds. It’s clean but just okay. The rest of the week shows a downward trend, with smaller swell and more onshore/cross-shore winds from the SW. By the 21st and 22nd, we’re looking at 4-5ft stuff, with the wind finally going offshore again on the 22nd morning (NNW at 19 mph) but the swell is weak.

So, overall: the first weekend has some quality windows, but the clear standout is Saturday the 15th. That glassy morning with solid 8ft SW swell is the one to circle. The other big days are for experts only and have wind issues. The second week is much quieter, mostly small and bumpy, with only a brief, cleaner window mid-week on the 18th.

Rusty out.

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