Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, SW swell with 5,618 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. 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 3.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for our little slice of paradise. It's a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, so let's get into it.
Right off the bat, this ain't a weekend for the casual surfer. We've got some solid energy in the water, with swell coming from the southwest, but the wind has been howling out of the east and southeast, just trashing the surface. Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th are write-offs with that cross-onshore chop – the wave faces will be all over the place and not much fun.
Things start to look a little more interesting as we head into the middle of next week. By Tuesday the 19th, the wind swings northwest, going cross-offshore, and while the swell drops right down, the energy is weak (around 432 combined energy), so the waves will be tiny and clean. Still, it's a chance to get wet if you've got a log. Wednesday the 20th is where we finally get a proper clean-up. The wind goes light and offshore from the WNW, and the swell picks back up to about 5 ft from the SW with a nice long 16-second period. That's a beautiful recipe for this reef. The combined energy is strong at 1522, but the wind will be so light the surface will be glassy. For the experienced crew at Chinamans, this is as good as it gets for a while – a proper standout session.
Thursday the 21st looks promising in the morning with clean 7 ft surf, but the afternoon gets absolutely hammered by strong cross-onshore winds as a front moves in, turning it into a complete mess.
That front ushers in some proper size. Saturday the 23rd sees a massive southwest groundswell, with waves holding around 10 ft. The combined energy is pumping at 8011! But here's the rub – it's a long, 18-second period swell. For a reef like Chinamans, that's usually magic, but it might also make things a bit too fat and walled for the beach breaks. If you're an expert, get ready for a big day. The wind is only a gentle breeze, cross-shore, so the conditions will be workable. That's a big tick.
Sunday the 24th and Monday the 25th drop off quickly with the swell fading and the wind turning messy again from the west. After that, the forecast gets a bit more uncertain for the end of August. We see another pulse of clean, mid-sized swell around Thursday the 28th, with 7 ft waves and offshore winds. A solid prospect.
Then the big one shows up for the final weekend of the month. On Friday the 29th of August, the charts are showing a big 12 ft swell from the WSW with a moderate breeze, and by the afternoon the wind drops to a light breeze. That's a huge swell, well over 8 ft, so this is strictly for experts only. The combined energy is a massive 5413 in the morning. This is a promising long-range standout, but it's a week and a half away, so don't get too attached to the idea just yet. The water temperature is sitting about average for this time of year.
So, to sum it up: Wednesday the 20th is your pick for clean, lined-up waves for the experienced surfer. Saturday the 23rd is the big, exciting swell for the pros. Keep an eye on that Friday the 29th, as it could be a real sleeper if it holds.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue night, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NNE on Tue night, light winds from the W by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1308 | 1092 | 1179 | 874 | 1347 | 1297 | 800 | 1174 | 834 | 480 | 432 | 472 | 457 | 1317 | 1300 | 1738 | 2053 | 4637 | 4833 | |
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-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 14 | — | SW 16 |
1308 | 1092 | 1179 | 874 | 1347 | 1297 | 668 | 1174 | 834 | 480 | 432 | 472 | 440 | 1317 | 1300 | 1738 | 2053 | — | 4833 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 26 | SW 23 | SW 21 | SW 19 | — | — | — | E 4 | SW 20 | WSW 7 | SW 8 | — | SW 19 | SW 18 | — | — |
— | — | — | 26 | 86 | 368 | 800 | — | — | — | 2 | 143 | 76 | 69 | — | 817 | 1358 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 457 | 136 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | E 4 | E 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | E 3 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | N 5 | WNW 5 | W 6 | — | — | W 4 | — | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
20 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 60 | 83 | 80 | — | — | 9 | — | 1517 | 4637 | 3916 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 164 | 3 | 81 | 149 | 163 | 662 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 726 | 32 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.











