Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for Chinamans.

We’ve got a solid run of swell hitting this exposed reef setup, starting right now on Wednesday the 12th of August with a big pulse. It’s a proper SW groundswell, pushing 10ft with a very long 17-second period. That’s a lot of energy – we’re talking a combined energy reading of 8602 – so it’s strong. The catch is the wind is a fresh cross-shore, blowing at 19 mph, so the surface is going to be lumpy and cross-chop. The water is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year. For the advanced crew, there are waves to be had, but it won’t be pretty.

Thursday the 13th keeps the 10ft SW swell going, but the period drops to 16 seconds. Wind backs off a bit. The afternoon swing to a cross-off breeze from the west at 12 mph cleans it up nicely, making for a much better window. Friday the 14th is similar, with the swell easing slightly to 8ft by afternoon and the wind going light. It’s still a cross-shore, but it’s clean.

Saturday the 15th is where it starts to fall apart. Swell drops under 8ft, but the wind swings onshore from the ESE and picks up. By the afternoon it’s choppy and poor. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th are a write-off for quality with moderate cross-onshore winds and chop, even though there’s still decent SW swell in the water.

Tuesday the 18th sees the swell drop to 5ft, which is more manageable for less-experienced surfers, and the wind turns cross-off from the NNE. It’s clean, but the energy is dropping. That trend continues through Wednesday the 19th with tiny 3ft waves.

The standout moment comes on Thursday the 20th of August. We get a decent 5ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and the wind goes offshore from the north, blowing at 12 mph. It’s clean, and for an advanced reef break like this, that offshore wind is gold. The energy is moderate (891). This is your best call.

Friday the 21st is also worth a paddle. The swell drops to 3ft in the morning but builds to 4ft by the afternoon. The wind stays light and cross-off, making for very clean conditions. It’s not big, but it’s fun.

The energy starts to build again Saturday the 22nd, with 8ft SW to WSW swell rolling back in, but the wind comes around onshore from the east. That pattern persists into Sunday the 23rd with a solid 12ft swell, but it’s choppy and blown out. Too much size and the wrong wind.

Monday the 24th keeps the 8ft size with a long 16-second period, but it’s cross-shore and lumpy again. The best window in this second week looks like Tuesday the 25th of August: we’ve got a 8ft SW groundswell with a 17-second period – very long period. The wind is cross-off from the NE and clean. The combined energy is strong at 5029, so there’s plenty of push. This is for the expert crew only, as it’s over 8ft and a reef. The long period means it’s best on a reef like this, but it can make the takeoff critical.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are wild. Strong to very strong energy (3866 to 6433) and strong cross-off winds, but the swell is big and the wind is fresh to strong. Thursday afternoon the 27th has a 10ft SW swell with 14-second period and a strong cross-off breeze at 25 mph – that’s going to be howling and hollow, only for the absolute best.

If you’re not an expert, the sweet spot is Thursday the 20th into Friday the 21st: clean, moderate swell, and the reef working perfectly. The rest of it is mostly big and bumpy, or small and clean. Crowds are only “sometimes” an issue at Chinamans, but with a forecast this good for the 20th, you might find a few others out there.

Rusty.

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