Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, SW swell with 3,235 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 19s 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 27) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 14s. 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 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a seat and listen up. This is a pretty tidy run of waves we’ve got coming through for Chinamans, starting on Thursday morning, August 27th.
Water’s sitting at 59°, which is pretty much bang on normal for this time of year, so no need to dig out the extra rubber.
We kick off Thursday morning with a clean 4 ft SW swell, period 14 seconds, and a NNW offshore breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 910, and the lines will be clean. It’s a solid start. Thursday afternoon gets even better: the swell bumps up to 5 ft, still from the SW, period 14, but the wind swings light N offshore. The energy jumps to a strong 1849. This is a good session for experienced surfers – the reef will be handling that swell nicely.
Friday morning, the 28th, sees a bigger pulse of 7 ft SW groundswell, period 16 seconds – that’s a long period, meaning more energy and shape. But the wind is light cross-shore from the ENE, so it’s not as clean as Thursday. The energy is very strong at 2537. Friday afternoon drops a touch to 7 ft, cross-on ESE wind, so the quality takes a hit. Saturday, the 29th, is similar with small, average conditions.
The standouts are Sunday afternoon, Monday, and then again much later in the period.
Sunday morning, August 30th, is small at 3 ft with a 20-second period – that’s a very long groundswell, but it’s cross-on and messy. Don’t bother. But Sunday afternoon! Glassy as, 3 ft, period 19 seconds, and the energy is 1129. It’s a magic window for a longboard if the swell finds the banks. Very clean.
Now, Monday, August 31st, is your best bet. Monday morning starts with 6 ft SW swell, 15-second period, NNE cross-off breeze, and energy at 2510. Clean. But Monday afternoon is the winner: 8 ft SW, 18-second period, light N offshore breeze, and a massive 3087 energy reading. This is proper, lined-up swell for Chinamans. It’s a standout.
Tuesday, September 1st, looks tricky. The morning has a strong 25 mph NNW offshore, but that’s a gale-force wind that makes paddling out a nightmare. The swell is 5 ft but the energy is still strong at 1281. It’s clean but only for the brave. The rest of the week into early September becomes a bit of a gap with onshore and cross-off winds, moderate chop, and the swell hanging around 7 ft to 8 ft. It’s not terrible, but not the best.
Then we get a second pulse. The real heavy stuff arrives from September 6th onwards. Saturday morning, September 5th, is small again. But Sunday, September 6th, sees a massive 12 ft SW swell, 14-second period, with a huge 5191 energy. The wind is onshore, though, so it’s not for the faint of heart. Monday the 7th has 10 ft, and by Wednesday the 9th, we’re looking at 12 ft SW swell with 16-second period and energy reading 8866. That’s a monster. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but this is expert territory only. Friday, September 11th, wraps it up with a 10 ft SW swell, 16-second period, and a clean offshore N breeze. That’s a big, powerful day for the pros.
So, if you’re looking for the best, don’t overthink it: Thursday afternoon, August 27th, for clean 5 ft surf, and Monday afternoon, August 31st, for a solid 8 ft, long period, offshore gem. The late period from September 9th to 11th is for the big-wave crew only.
Keep it salty.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon night, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the NNW by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
623 | 1006 | 3122 | 2537 | 2087 | 1108 | 802 | 553 | 411 | 455 | 678 | 1818 | 1561 | 3087 | 1829 | 1281 | 606 | 1561 | 2094 | 1942 | 1891 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:05PM0.93m | 2:32AM0.53m | 2:25PM0.93m | 2:45AM0.61m | 2:45PM0.90m | 3:02AM0.70m | 3:05PM0.85m | 3:22AM0.78m | 3:23PM0.77m | 3:46AM0.86m | 3:39PM0.69m | 4:12AM0.91m | 3:51PM0.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:00PM0.11m | 7:48AM0.16m | 9:04PM0.10m | 8:19AM0.12m | 9:11PM0.08m | 8:51AM0.09m | 9:19PM0.07m | 9:24AM0.09m | 9:27PM0.05m | 9:57AM0.12m | 9:37PM0.04m | 10:33AM0.18m | 9:47PM0.02m | ||||||||
6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:59 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 |
623 | 1006 | 3122 | 2537 | 2087 | 1108 | 802 | 553 | 411 | 386 | 451 | 1818 | 1561 | 3087 | 1829 | 1281 | 606 | 666 | 2094 | 626 | 1891 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | SW 23 | SW 23 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 21 | SW 19 | — | — | — | SW 18 | NNW 5 | — | — | — |
287 | 843 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 82 | 220 | 455 | 678 | 368 | 949 | — | — | — | 522 | 4 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | NNW 5 | WNW 6 | SW 15 | WSW 5 | SW 14 | WSW 14 |
10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 94 | 151 | 1561 | 39 | 1942 | 1172 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 1189 | 1095 | 46 | 589 | 589 | 11 |
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.











