
Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 27 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 8,000 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s 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 (Jul 30) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 1.3m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Thu 30th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Chinamans over the next couple of weeks.
The window kicks off on Monday the 27th of July, but it’s a rough start. Monday afternoon has a clean 5ft WSW swell with a strong offshore breeze, but it’s a tough paddle into it. The combined energy is moderate (734). Tuesday the 28th is a write-off – big, messy 8ft to 10ft swell with strong cross-shore winds, total choppy chaos. Wednesday the 29th is only slightly better – still 8ft to 10ft SW swell, but the wind is gentler and cross-onshore, so it’s still fairly choppy. The energy is strong (4586 on Wednesday morning).
Thursday the 30th of July is where things start to turn. The morning is a bit lumpy with a 6ft SW swell and light cross-onshore wind, but the afternoon is a gem. The wind goes glassy, the swell drops to a clean 5ft from the SW, and the wave energy is moderate (765). That’s a solid session for the advanced crew. Friday the 31st is also clean and fun – 4ft SW swell with a gentle cross-offshore breeze, making for tidy lines. The energy is moderate (544 in the morning, 716 in the afternoon).
Now, the standout of the first week? Saturday the 1st of August. The morning has a 6ft SW swell with a fresh offshore wind, and the afternoon really fires – 7ft of SW swell with a moderate offshore, clean and punchy. The energy jumps to very strong (3081). That’s the pick for the experienced surfers.
Sunday the 2nd of August sees a return to onshore choppy conditions as the swell stays around 7ft to 8ft. The energy is strong (3286 to 3624), but the wind is cross-onshore, making it lumpy. Not great.
Monday the 3rd of August is another high point. The morning delivers 8ft of SW swell with a light cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions. The energy is very strong (2527). This is excellent for experienced surfers. Tuesday the 4th is a mixed bag – the morning is clean with 5ft SW swell (moderate energy, 1461), but the afternoon goes weird with a 4ft 22-second period swell that’s cross-shore and a bit messy. Wednesday the 5th offers clean, powerful surf again – 8ft to 7ft SW swell with moderate cross-offshore wind, very strong energy (3348 in the morning).
The second week is a bit of a rollercoaster. The real standout for the whole outlook is Saturday the 8th of August. The afternoon delivers an 8ft WSW swell with a gentle offshore breeze and exceptional quality. The combined energy is extreme (5465). That’s a big, clean, deep-water groundswell for the experts only.
Sunday the 9th of August is a strong no-go – 10ft to 12ft SW swell with strong onshore winds, pure mess. Monday the 10th is also poor. But then Tuesday the 11th of August finishes the run beautifully – glassy conditions, with a 3ft to 4ft SW swell carrying a very long 20-21 second period. The energy is moderate (909 to 946). For a point break and reef, that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely.
Chinamans is a reef break, best for advanced surfers. It’s fairly consistent and exposed to the SW swell. The optimum swell direction is SW, which is exactly what we’re getting. The water temperature is 59°, about average for this time of year. Crowds can be an issue sometimes, so pick your session.
In short, the pick of the bunch is the afternoon of the 1st of August for a powerful, clean SW swell, and the afternoon of the 8th of August for a truly exceptional, big groundswell. Both are for the experienced only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Tue afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Mon afternoon, calm by Thu morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat night, min 10°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
734 | 1485 | 3297 | 3771 | 8000 | 4586 | 3051 | 1639 | 991 | 744 | 543 | 363 | 410 | 528 | 1781 | 3081 | 3046 | 2269 | 3624 | 3720 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 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 | 3:28PM1.00m | 3:52AM0.63m | 3:48PM0.94m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 8:44AM0.20m | 10:14PM0.15m | 9:18AM0.21m | 10:24PM0.15m | |||||||
— | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | — | — | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
734 | — | — | — | 8000 | 4586 | 3051 | 1639 | 991 | 744 | 543 | 363 | 410 | 374 | 1781 | 3081 | 3046 | 864 | 3624 | 3720 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 23 | SW 22 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 21 | — | — | W 8 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 19 | 112 | 306 | 528 | 45 | — | — | 153 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 22 | SW 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 5 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | NNW 5 | NW 4 | SW 16 | — | — |
64 | 1485 | 3297 | 3771 | 6554 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 35 | 18 | 2269 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 472 | 168 | 1040 | 1034 | 1189 | 46 | 46 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 81 | 81 | 163 | 546 | 506 | 7 |
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.










