Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve got a good look at what’s coming up for Chinamans. This is a reef break that handles swell from the SW, and it’s a spot for the advanced crew. The water temp is sitting around 59°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year—nothing weird there.

We kick off on Tuesday, the 4th of August. It’s not a total standout, but the afternoon session is worth a mention. The wind drops to glassy out of the SW at 3 mph, and you’ve got 5 ft of SW swell rolling in with a long 15-second period. The energy is moderate (944). It’s not huge, but with that glassy surface, it’ll be clean and lined up. The morning is a bit of a write-off with a cross breeze and only 5 ft swell, but the afternoon is the pick of the first day.

Moving into Wednesday the 5th, things get better. The morning is clean with a gentle offshore from the N at 9 mph, pushing into 3 ft of SW swell at 19 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, and for a reef, that’s a good thing—it’ll hold shape. The energy is moderate (796). The afternoon is the real standout for the first week: 4 ft of SW swell, still a long period of 18 seconds, and a moderate offshore breeze from the NNW at 12 mph. The energy jumps to strong (1268). This is clean, punchy, and for the experienced surfer, it’s the best of the early days.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are messy. The wind swings cross-onshore on Thursday, and the swell bumps up to 5 ft, but it’s choppy. Friday sees a bigger 7 ft SW swell by the afternoon, with a long period of 17 seconds and a cross-off wind, but it’s not clean enough to get excited about. The energy is strong (2653), but the quality is off.

Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are a write-off. Saturday has 28 mph winds making it a fight just to get out, and by Sunday the swell hits 12 ft with a screaming 31 mph crosswind. That’s not paddle surfing—that’s kite territory. The energy is very strong (5845), but it’s a mess.

The gap clears, and by Monday the 10th the swell drops to 10 ft with a cleaner cross-off wind, but the wind is still fresh at 22 mph. It’s for the hardcore only.

Now, the second week brings the real gold. Tuesday the 11th is a big one—the morning session has 12 ft of WSW swell with a 16-second period and a cross-off NW wind at 28 mph. The energy is massive (12781). This is for experts only, but it’s clean and powerful. The afternoon gets blown out, so hit the morning.

Wednesday the 12th is a monster. The morning has 16 ft of SW swell at 18 seconds with a moderate cross-shore wind. The energy is massive (23182). The file says it’s too big for the break, and honestly, that’s a serious call—only the most experienced should even look at it. The afternoon drops to 12 ft, which is more manageable.

Then, from Friday the 14th through to Monday the 18th, we get a run of excellent conditions. Friday the 14th has 7 ft SW swell with a 16-second period and a moderate offshore from the NW at 12 mph. The energy is strong (2080). It’s clean and solid. Saturday the 15th is the standout of the whole period: 8 ft SW swell, an 18-second period, and a gentle offshore from the NNW at 9 mph. The energy is very strong (3375). The afternoon is glassy with a light offshore, and it’s just perfect for the advanced surfer. Sunday the 16th keeps it going with 8 ft SW swell and a light offshore. Monday the 17th has 8 ft SW swell in the morning, again with a moderate offshore. It’s a classic run of clean, powerful groundswell.

Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th wind down. Tuesday morning has 5 ft SW swell with a moderate offshore, and Wednesday morning is glassy with 6 ft SW swell. The afternoon on the 19th has 8 ft WSW swell with a light cross-off—still good, but not as crisp as the weekend.

The best on offer is Saturday the 15th of August, with that 8 ft groundswell, long period, and gentle offshore. It’s clean, powerful, and for the experienced surfer, it’s a dream. The other standout is Wednesday the 5th of August afternoon, with the 4 ft swell and clean offshore. Everything else is good, but those two days are the ones to circle.

Rusty.

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