Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 8,690 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. 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 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) 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 1.5m 5s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Let’s talk about Chinamans.
The next couple days are rough, if I’m being straight with you. Sunday the 26th has some small but clean surf early morning: 1.3m SW, 12-second period, light cross-off breeze, combined energy 479 – it’s fine but not exciting. Sunday afternoon turns offshore and cleaner.
Monday the 27th gets tricky. Morning is clean offshore with that 1.3m SW at 14 seconds but a fresh 35 km/h wind. Afternoon jumps to 1.7m from the WNW but only 9 seconds – you’ll get cleaned up but it’s not pretty.
Tuesday the 28th you’ll want to skip the afternoon – 3.5m, 15-second SW, 50 km/h cross-shore, 4669 combined energy – that’s kite weather. Wednesday and Thursday are cross-onshore and messy.
But Friday 31st July – that afternoon is the dream. Glassy north wind, 0.8m SW groundswell, 20-second period, combined energy 892. Clean, long lines, and you’ll have the place to yourself. That is one of the best on offer.
Saturday 1st August stays clean, 2–1.8m SW, 16–17 seconds. Good for a session. Sunday 2nd is cleaner but you’ve got strong offshore wind making it hard to paddle.
Then Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th August: Wednesday morning is glassy, 1.8m SW, 14 seconds, combined energy 1505 – as perfect as you’ll see. Thursday keeps it clean but smaller.
The big event is Saturday 8th August morning: 2.5m SW, 21-second period, combined energy 7435 – that’s a serious groundswell with a cross-off breeze. Clean and heavy. That Sunday and Monday also pack huge swells but the wind picks up.
Crowds at Chinamans can show up, but with the best days midweek, you’re in with a shot at getting waves to yourself when it really matters. The period from Sunday 9th into Monday 10th August shows some of the biggest energy of the entire run – 9035 combined – but bring your big-wave gear if you’re even thinking about it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Tue afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sun morning, strong winds from the WSW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue night, min 11°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Tue night, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | WNW 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 20 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 624 | 469 | 427 | 338 | 647 | 474 | 1247 | 3288 | 4669 | 8690 | 4717 | 2880 | 1408 | 991 | 744 | 535 | 346 | 455 | 799 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:49PM0.90m | 1:24PM0.96m | 2:45AM0.37m | 1:54PM1.01m | 2:43AM0.41m | 2:20PM1.04m | 2:54AM0.45m | 2:44PM1.05m | 3:10AM0.51m | 3:07PM1.04m | 3:30AM0.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:07PM0.23m | 9:39PM0.22m | 9:34PM0.20m | 6:03AM0.32m | 9:37PM0.19m | 6:55AM0.27m | 9:44PM0.17m | 7:35AM0.24m | 9:54PM0.16m | 8:10AM0.21m | 10:04PM0.16m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 11 | SW 12 | — | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 624 | 469 | 427 | 338 | 647 | 217 | 781 | — | — | 8690 | 4717 | 2880 | 1408 | 991 | 744 | 535 | 346 | 437 | 799 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | — | SSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 24 | SSW 23 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 26 | 10 | 34 | 112 | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 51 | 159 | 455 | 326 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 21 | — | — |
| kJ | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 3 | NNW 4 | WNW 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NE 3 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 5 | 58 | 474 | 1247 | 3288 | 4669 | 6394 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 472 | 160 | 1034 | 1040 | 717 | 29 | 1357 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Chinamans surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest