Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the cards at Chinamans, but this one’s for the advanced crew only – it’s a reef setup and it’s about to pump. The water’s sitting at 60°F which is bang on average for this time of year, nothing wild there.

The week kicks off Monday the 13th with some serious energy in the water – the combined swell energy is reading hefty numbers (6588), with an 12ft SW groundswell rolling in at 16 seconds. That’s proper size for a reef, and while the wind’s a fresh cross-off at 22 mph from the west, it’s gonna be clean but pushy. Tuesday the 14th drops a little in size to 10ft but the wind swings cross-on, making it choppy – might be one to sit out.

Wednesday the 15th is where it gets tasty. The swell backs off to 7ft from the SW, still a long 15-second period, and the wind goes glassy – 3 mph from the north in the morning, then dead calm in the arvo. That’s about as clean as it gets for an advanced reef wave. Not huge, but the paddle-out will be easier with those long gaps between sets. Energy’s still strong at 1941.

Thursday the 16th keeps the quality up: 6ft to 7ft SW groundswell, 15 to 16 seconds, and light offshore breezes all day – clean as a whistle. Friday the 17th stays clean but the size drops a touch to 5ft to 6ft, still cross-off winds. That stretch from Wednesday through Friday is the standout window – solid, clean, and manageable.

Saturday the 18th sees the swell shrink to 4ft with offshore northerlies at 12 mph, but the energy’s dropped off to low-moderate (419). It’ll be fun but small. Sunday the 19th gets a weird spike in period – 20 seconds on a 2ft swell – that’s a very long-period, low-energy groundswell (466). It’ll be super clean with offshore winds but only just breaking on the reef.

Monday the 20th brings a fresh pulse: 6ft SW groundswell at 15 seconds, offshore northerlies at 19 mph – that’s clean and punchy with moderate energy (1522). Good for experienced surfers. Tuesday the 21st drops back to 4ft to 5ft, still clean but lower energy (732). Wednesday and Thursday the 22nd–23rd get messy – strong winds and rain, with some poor conditions. Not worth paddling out.

But then – hold onto your board – Friday the 24th lights up. An 8ft SW groundswell at 17 seconds rolls in, with offshore northwesterlies at 12 mph. The energy’s cranked right up to 3639, and conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a standout day, but Saturday the 25th gets wild: 8ft to 8ft with a near gale offshore at 28–34 mph – that’s clean but gnarly to paddle into, only for the hardcore.

Sunday the 26th sees the swell jump to 10ft but the wind goes cross and the chop comes in, not great. Monday the 27th holds 10ft with fresh offshore breezes at 19–22 mph – still big and clean but you’ll earn every wave. Tuesday the 28th winds down with 7ft dropping to 5ft later, clean but fading.

Overall, the real standouts are Wednesday the 15th through Friday the 17th for the cleanest combo of size and glassy conditions, and then Friday the 24th for a bigger, more powerful session. If you’re not advanced, give Chinamans a miss – over 5ft on a reef is no joke, and when it hits 8ft+ you’re in expert-only territory. Crowds can be around at times, so keep an eye out.

Rusty.

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