Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looks like we’ve got a solid run of swell heading our way over the next couple of weeks, but there’s a definite split between the early stuff and a monster that’s lining up well into the second week. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing out of the ordinary there.

We kick off on Wednesday the 26th of August at Chinamans (a reef setup that needs an advanced skill level). Wednesday morning it’s 5 ft from the SW with a long 13-second period and glassy conditions – light NW wind at just 3 mph. The combined energy is sitting at 877 (moderate energy) but the quality is there. You’ll be looking at clean, lined-up waves. Wednesday afternoon drops a touch to 4 ft but stays clean with a cross-off NW breeze. The surf is good, but the standout on offer for the early part of the week is Thursday the 27th. Thursday afternoon sees the swell holding at 5 ft from the SW, period stretching to 14 seconds, and clean offshore wind from the NNW at 9 mph. Combined energy jumps to 1874 (moderate to strong). This is proper reef-swell territory – long-period SW groundswell with offshore wind, which is about as good as it gets here. Friday the 28th keeps the run going: 7 ft on Friday morning from the SW with a 16-second period, energy at 2537 (moderate to strong), and NE cross-off wind at 6 mph. Friday afternoon is even glassier: 7 ft, zero wind, glassy conditions (energy 2087). This is the top pick of the first week: clean, solid, and well-shaped.

Now, there’s a bit of a lull. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th turn cross-onshore and choppy. Saturday sees 5 ft dropping to 4 ft, but the SE wind messes it up. Sunday has a weird one – 3 ft with a super-long 20-second period – that long period at a beach/reef setup can make it break too straight, and combined with cross-onshore wind it’s not worth paddling out. Monday the 31st improves: 7 ft in the morning (cross-off NNE at 9 mph, energy 2784) and Monday afternoon turns offshore with NNW wind at 9 mph, 7 ft from the SW, 17-second period, energy 2683. That’s clean and punchy, but the wind picks up on Tuesday the 1st of September – morning sees 22 mph NNW offshore wind at 5 ft (1068 energy) – it’s offshore but gusty, so only for the brave.

Then we hit the real standout. Friday the 4th of September is the one to circle. Friday morning at Chinamans, we’ve got 12 ft from the SW with an 18-second period, combined energy of 9670 (strong to very strong). Wind is NE at 6 mph, cross-off, keeping it clean. This is big groundswell – over 8 ft, so expert-only. Friday afternoon stays at 12 ft with a light offshore NNW at 6 mph, energy 6836. Saturday the 5th of September is still pumping: 13 ft in the morning from the SW, 16-second period, energy 6675 (strong), cross-off WNW wind at 6 mph. That’s a serious swell. Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are the top picks of the whole outlook – big, clean SW groundswell with light winds. But be warned, this is big-wave territory, and the long period (18 seconds) means the gaps between sets will be long, giving you time to get out, but the reef at Chinamans will handle that period fine.

A couple of other notes: Sunday the 6th of September sees waves dropping to 7 ft (1594 energy) with light NNE cross-off and glassy conditions by afternoon – that’s a good day for the slightly smaller crowd. After that, Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th turn messy with cross-onshore winds and even 12 ft on Tuesday but it’s blown-out with strong SSW wind at 28 mph – energy is over 10000 but the conditions are poor. On Wednesday the 9th, another clean-up: 12 ft with light offshore NW wind at 3 mph, glassy, energy 11103 (very strong) – that’s another expert-only day if you can handle the size.

Overall, the first real standout is Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of August for solid, clean surf. Then the big one hits around Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th of September – that’s the best on offer, but only for experienced crew. The reef at Chinamans is fairly consistent here, so it’s not a surprise to see this much action.

Rusty.

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