Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 20s period, SW swell with 8,767 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 16s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chinamans in the next 16 days are 3.5m 20s 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 1.3m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 20s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty.
Alright, let's look at this 16-day stretch for the region. The main spot is Chinamans, a reef that’s gonna see a lot of action from the south-west. Water's sitting around 60°, which is pretty normal for the season.
It all starts up on Friday the 4th with a thumping pulse. The morning brings a 10ft south-west swell with a super long 16-second period. The wind is cross-off from the NNE at 12 mph, which should keep things clean. The wave energy is huge at 4272. This is serious, overhead-to-double-overhead stuff, so only the experienced crew should be out there. The afternoon drops to 8ft but the wind picks up to 19 mph, making it a bit more of a handful.
Saturday the 5th is a whole lot of nasty. The swell is 12ft, but the wind is howling near gale force from the WSW at 31 mph. It's just a mess.
Sunday the 6th is a little more relaxed but still lumpy. The swell holds at 8ft in the morning with a 14-second period, but the wind is a light 6 mph and cross-shore. The afternoon is 7ft. The energy is still high, but that cross-shore wind puts a bit of chop on the face.
Monday the 7th drops way off to 4ft with an onshore breeze. Weak energy at 599. Not worth it.
Tuesday the 8th sees a rebound to 7ft with a very long 17-second period. The wind is light cross-on from the east at 6 mph, keeping it manageable. Energy is up to 2622.
Wednesday the 9th is a monster, but a messy one. 12ft swell with a 20-second period, but it's onshore and screaming from the SSE at 22 mph. The energy is off the charts at 8790. This one is more for the kite surfers than paddle surfers, as it's gonna be blown out and dangerous.
The next few days are a mixed bag of decent swell and poor wind. Thursday the 10th has 10ft and 8ft but with cross and cross-on winds.
The best day of the whole run, no question, is Saturday the 12th. The swell is a fun 4ft from the south-west, but the wind is magic. The morning has a gentle cross-off from the NE at 9 mph, and the afternoon goes lighter from the NNE at 6 mph. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” With a 15-second period, the waves will have great shape and the energy is a solid 838. It'll be clean, glassy, and just the right size for a big day of fun. Mark it on the calendar.
The second week gets chaotic again. Sunday the 13th has 4ft to 5ft but with fresh cross-off winds. Monday the 14th offers a tiny window of true offshore wind from the NNW with a 3ft swell, but it’s weak. Tuesday the 15th through Thursday the 17th brings big swell (8ft to 13ft), but all with strong, choppy onshore winds. Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th see the swell stick around in the 10ft range, but the winds start cleaning up towards the end. Saturday afternoon looks like a real promise: 10ft south-west swell, 15-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the north. That has “excellent surf conditions” written all over it, but it's a long way out.
So, nail Saturday the 12th. That's your standout. The rest is a fight against the wind, or for the big-wave specialists only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Fri night, light winds from the WSW by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the SSE by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4272 | 3455 | 2329 | 5548 | 3241 | 3446 | 2223 | 1762 | 1014 | 480 | 518 | 1691 | 2622 | 2355 | 2404 | 8767 | 7860 | 6156 | 4367 | 3334 | 1951 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:32PM0.45m | 6:08AM0.84m | 7:40AM0.76m | 11:29AM0.78m | 12:33PM0.85m | 2:08AM0.36m | 1:12PM0.89m | 1:56AM0.47m | 1:43PM0.90m | 2:08AM0.60m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 12:03PM0.37m | 10:08PM0.00m | 10:11PM0.02m | 9:54PM0.06m | 9:04PM0.10m | 8:31PM0.11m | 6:00AM0.26m | 8:23PM0.10m | 7:02AM0.17m | 8:25PM0.08m | |||||||||||
 | |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — |
 | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | — | — | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 4272 | 3455 | 2329 | — | — | 1975 | 2223 | 1762 | 1014 | 480 | 518 | 1691 | 2622 | 2355 | 2404 | 8767 | 7860 | 6156 | 4367 | 3334 | 1951 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | — | — | SW 23 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 13 | — | — | SW 26 | — | — | — | — | S 26 | SW 25 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | 21 | 116 | 508 | 479 | — | — | 171 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 5 | W 6 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SW 14 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | — | — | — | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 |
| kJ | — | 35 | 103 | 5548 | 3241 | 3446 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | 23 | 44 | 49 | 31 | 35 | 27 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 162 | 81 | 645 | 1031 | 1186 | 506 | 7 | 7 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 1186 | 1438 | 29 | 13 | 7 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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