Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 12 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 5,433 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 17s 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 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 12) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sun 12th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Chinamans (reef). Water temp is sitting at about 60°F – right around average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
The start is flat and messy. Sunday 5th through Tuesday 7th – forget it. Winds are cross or cross-on, swell is there but the conditions are choppy, cross-chop, and the combined energy is moderate at best (859–3843, but it’s all spoiled by wind). No real surf to speak of.
Wednesday 8th July – here’s the first big moment. Morning brings a 8ft swell from the SW, 18-second period – that’s proper groundswell, long, powerful lines. The combined energy is 3483 – strong. Wind is light cross-off from the NE, keeps it clean. This is a reef break, so that long period will shape up nicely. Afternoon drops to 7ft, still clean with light cross-off wind. This is for experienced surfers – size and power are serious. Crowds can show, but it’ll be worth it.
Thursday 9th afternoon – the glass-off special. Swell drops to 4ft, but period stretches to 19 seconds – very long groundswell. Wind goes glassy from the NNW. Combined energy is 1357, still decent. Small, clean, and perfect for a longboard. This is a treat.
After that, things get ugly. Friday 10th through Monday 13th – winds crank up, swell jumps to 12ft to 13ft with energy readings from 5433 to 8232. That’s huge, dangerous, and the conditions are poor due to strong winds. This is expert-only, and honestly, kitesurfers might have more fun than paddlers.
Second week is quieter. Swell drops off through the 15th to 17th. Thursday 16th afternoon offers 5ft with clean cross-off wind – rideable but not special. Sunday 19th morning has 5ft and light wind – clean. Then Monday 20th morning brings a 7ft SW swell, 18-second period, moderate offshore NNW wind – another good session for experienced surfers, energy at 3256. Clean and solid.
Bottom line: Wednesday 8th July is the clear standout – big, clean, powerful. Thursday 9th afternoon is the glassy, small-wave gem. The rest has moments, but nothing beats that first window.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri night, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the NNW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3832 | 2567 | 1721 | 857 | 538 | 288 | 886 | 1164 | 962 | 3483 | 2355 | 1532 | 924 | 767 | 1697 | 1374 | 962 | 726 | 788 | 398 | 1764 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:28PM0.96m | 5:12AM0.60m | 4:48PM0.86m | 5:55AM0.65m | 5:03PM0.75m | 6:51AM0.71m | 5:04PM0.64m | 8:06AM0.78m | 9:43AM0.87m | 11:10AM0.97m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 9:34AM0.31m | 11:30PM0.26m | 10:15AM0.36m | 11:42PM0.26m | 11:07AM0.44m | 11:54PM0.26m | 12:23PM0.52m | 00:07AM0.25m | 00:21AM0.23m | 00:38AM0.23m | 1:01AM0.23m | ||||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | |  |  | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — |
 | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 12 | 8 |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | — |
| kJ | 3832 | 2567 | 1721 | 857 | 538 | 288 | 886 | 1164 | 962 | 3483 | 2355 | 1532 | 924 | 590 | 1697 | 1374 | 962 | 726 | 788 | 398 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | SW 14 | — | — | — | SW 21 | SW 19 | — | — | W 6 | W 6 | WSW 6 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 199 | — | — | 668 | — | — | — | 112 | 767 | — | — | 12 | 47 | 25 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 646 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | E 3 | E 3 | E 3 | E 4 | E 4 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | N 4 | N 4 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | WSW 11 |
| kJ | 11 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | 40 | 13 | 64 | 302 | 1764 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 74 | 81 | 168 | 480 | 373 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Chinamans surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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