Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 5,512 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 14s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 18s. 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 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your stick, let's see what's coming our way over the next couple of weeks.
There's a bit of a slow start, but patience is going to pay off for those who know this spot. We're looking at a solid run of SW groundswell, but the early part of the week is going to be a fight with the wind.
The first surf to even think about is at Chinamans (reef). The water's sitting around 59°, so pretty normal for August. Saturday morning the 15th has some size, 8ft of SW swell, but it's coming in with a cross-on breeze that's got it choppy and ugly. That combined energy is high, at 2620 (moderate energy), but the quality just isn't there. Saturday afternoon gets stronger wind and a score of zero – a total write-off. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th are more of the same; wind is just ruining it.
We start to see a real change on Tuesday morning, the 18th. The wind finally swings to a clean cross-offshore from the NNE, and we've got a nice, clean 5ft SW groundswell. The energy is still moderate at 1297, but it'll be glassy. This is where it starts to get good for the experienced crew. It's a reef break, so that long period swell (17 seconds) will wrap in nicely. Tuesday afternoon drops off a touch but stays clean.
Wednesday the 19th is blown out by fresh winds, but keep your eye on Thursday, the 20th. Thursday morning with light offshore breezes and 5ft of clean SW swell – the energy is strong at 1569, and the report is calling it "excellent" for the experienced. That's a proper session if you can get out of work.
Now, Friday the 21st things get serious. That swell jumps to a solid 10ft from the SW. But Friday morning has strong NW winds (22 mph) keeping it clean-ish. For the experts, it's on, but the power is huge (4800 energy). The afternoon turns into a messy cross-shore mess with 25 mph winds though. Saturday the 22nd holds that 10ft size, and the morning has a clean onshore wind that might offer some shelter, with the energy still pumping over 4000. The afternoon looks cleaner with lighter winds and a glassy cross-shore. Big, powerful, one for the experienced only.
But the real standout, the one you circle on the calendar, is Monday, the 24th of August. This is the best forecast of the whole run. We're talking a 10ft SW groundswell with a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is massive at 5989. And the wind? Light offshore from the NW in the morning with clear skies. The report calls it "exceptional for expert surfers." That is a bomb of a day at Chinamans. The afternoon holds excellent with 8ft and gentle offshore winds too.
After that peak, Tuesday the 25th is blown apart by gale-force winds, and Wednesday the 26th is just a write-off with rain and more crazy wind. There's another pulse late in the run, on Saturday, the 29th of August, with a 8ft WSW groundswell and a very long 21-second period. The energy is strong again at 5885, but the wind is cross-offshore and the period is so long it might be a bit straight for a reef setup, though still worth a look for the experts.
Bottom line: The first week is mostly about waiting for the clean windows on the 18th, 20th, and the big clean day on the 22nd. The absolute standout is Monday the 24th – that's your best shot at a truly epic session with the most power and perfect clean conditions, but it's strictly for experts at that size.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sun afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Tue night, light winds from the NW by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2620 | 2255 | 1308 | 1092 | 1179 | 874 | 1347 | 1297 | 800 | 1297 | 834 | 480 | 492 | 528 | 492 | 1179 | 1194 | 1602 | 4800 | 4282 | 5512 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:23PM0.96m | 3:45AM0.75m | 3:46PM0.86m | 4:14AM0.81m | 4:04PM0.76m | 4:43AM0.83m | 4:16PM0.66m | 5:12AM0.83m | 4:16PM0.57m | 5:43AM0.79m | 3:52PM0.52m | 6:19AM0.74m | 1:59PM0.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:50PM0.09m | 9:36AM0.13m | 10:03PM0.08m | 10:14AM0.18m | 10:15PM0.08m | 10:49AM0.25m | 10:25PM0.09m | 11:23AM0.34m | 10:31PM0.11m | 12:00PM0.43m | 10:32PM0.12m | 1:14PM0.52m | 10:26PM0.13m | ||||||||
7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
— | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | — | — | SW 16 |
2620 | 2255 | 1308 | 1092 | 1179 | 874 | 1347 | 1297 | 668 | 1297 | 834 | 480 | 492 | 528 | 492 | 1179 | 1194 | 1602 | — | — | 5512 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SW 26 | SW 23 | SW 21 | SW 19 | — | — | — | E 4 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | — | SW 19 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 26 | 86 | 368 | 800 | — | — | — | 1 | 143 | 457 | 390 | — | 627 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | WSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | — | — | NE 4 | NNE 4 | N 4 | NNE 4 | N 4 | NW 4 | — | — | — | W 4 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
— | 3 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 14 | 13 | 22 | 43 | 16 | 14 | — | — | — | 14 | 4800 | 4282 | 4272 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 166 | 166 | 81 | 81 | 160 | 726 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 726 | 738 | 745 |
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.











