
Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 4 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 5 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 19s period, SSW swell with 3,901 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 2.4m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 9AM.
| 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 | 3AM (Sun 5th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming down the line for Chinamans.
We’re kicking off a patchy run, to be honest. The first good window doesn’t really show up until Wednesday the 8th. Before that, from Saturday the 4th through Tuesday the 7th, it’s mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore breezes with lumpy, choppy conditions. The swell is there, but the wind just won’t play ball. We’ll have to sit through a few days of average to poor conditions until things clean up.
Wednesday the 8th into Thursday the 9th is where it’s at. That’s our standout. Wednesday morning sees a clean 8ft SW groundswell (period of 18 seconds) with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NE. That’s a serious amount of energy pushing in (3483), and that long period is going to stack up nicely on this reef. If you’re an experienced surfer, Wednesday afternoon is even better – 7ft, still clean, glassy conditions late. Then Thursday the 9th afternoon looks magic: the wind drops to glassy (NNE, 3 mph) and we get clean 4ft lines from the SW. The moderate combined energy (1283) will be an easy paddle. This reef handles that direction beautifully.
The good news keeps rolling into Friday the 10th, with clean 5ft to 6ft SW swell and a fresh offshore breeze, but that north wind is blowing at 19 mph, so it will be clean but a bit wild.
Then we hit a rough stretch. From Saturday the 11th through to the middle of the following week, it’s a mess. A strong breeze from the WSW, then a near-gale, brings heavy rain, messy cross-chop, and blown-out surf. Not worth a paddle. On Monday the 13th, we get a 10ft to 12ft SW swell, but it’s howling from the SW at 25 mph. That’s big, angry, and ugly. The total energy hits 5508, but it’s for kite surfers, not paddle surfers, at a beach-and-reef setup like this.
After that, the swell stays in the 7ft to 8ft range from the SW through Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th, but the wind is cross-shore from the SW, keeping a chop on it. It’s rideable but it’s a gritty, lumpy grind. Not the best.
The final few days from Thursday 16th onward go downhill again – a fresh cross-onshore from the ESE, then some cleaner but smaller swell on Saturday 18th (4ft) and Sunday 19th (3ft) with offshore winds from the NNW. That last little blip on Sunday afternoon has a 17-second period, but at 1ft it’s barely a ripple.
Water temp is sitting at 60°, which is pretty average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.
So, for the best of the bunch: Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th. Clean, lined-up, proper groundswell. Don’t sleep on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the N by Fri morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1115 | 1506 | 3580 | 2567 | 1721 | 763 | 463 | 288 | 886 | 1068 | 942 | 3483 | 2326 | 1420 | 924 | 757 | 1992 | 1339 | 1025 | 623 | 492 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 4:06PM1.03m | 4:36AM0.55m | 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 | 11:15PM0.25m | 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 | ||||||||||
— | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | |
5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | 5:24 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 8 | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
1115 | 1506 | 3580 | 2567 | 1721 | 763 | 463 | 288 | 886 | 1068 | 757 | 3483 | 2326 | 1420 | 924 | 757 | 1992 | 1339 | 1025 | 623 | 492 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | — | SW 22 | SW 19 | — | — | — | NW 4 | NW 5 |
— | 392 | — | — | — | — | — | 199 | — | — | 942 | — | — | — | 18 | 526 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 5 | W 6 |
— | 540 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 372 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 4 | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | — | ESE 3 | E 4 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | N 4 | NNE 4 | NE 4 |
— | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | — | 3 | 7 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 22 | 29 | 19 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 81 | 169 | 472 |
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.











