Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s ahead for Chinamans. This is a reef setup that’s exposed to the southwest and it’s going to be a proper test over the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 60°F at the start, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The real standout is Sunday, September 6th. That morning we’ve got a 8ft SW groundswell coming in with a 14-second period and glassy conditions – no wind at all. Combined energy is strong at 2038. The afternoon cleans up even more, still glassy, dropping to 6ft but with that same long-period SW groundswell. This is the best window of the whole forecast. Clean, powerful, and consistent. For experienced surfers, this is the one.

The build-up to that is messy. Thursday September 3rd kicks off with 8ft SW swell but it’s cross-shore wind and a cross-chop, so not great. Friday the 4th gets cleaner with cross-offshore winds from the north, but the swell is still 10ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, with a long 16-second period. It’s rideable but marginal. Saturday September 5th is a write-off – near gale-force cross-shore winds smashing up an 12ft swell, just a mess.

After Sunday’s brilliance, Monday September 7th drops off fast. Swell sizes fall to 4ft and 3ft, with onshore winds and a weird 21-second period on the afternoon – that’s a very long groundswell, which can make things wonky at a reef. Not worth it.

Tuesday September 8th sees a bit of a pulse back to 7ft SW with a 17-second period, but cross-onshore winds and chop spoil it. Similar story Wednesday September 9th – big 10ft SW swell with a 21-second period, but strong cross-onshore winds and messy conditions. That’s more of a kite day than a paddle day.

The following week is a mixed bag. Thursday September 10th has 8ft SW swell with moderate cross-shore wind, but it’s marginal. Friday September 11th drops to 5ft and clean with cross-offshore winds, but the energy is weak (878). Saturday September 12th has fresh offshore winds from the north but only 5ft swell and a bit of a drop-off in quality. Sunday September 13th gets lumpy again.

Then Monday September 14th and Tuesday September 15th bring back 7ft SW swell with gentle to moderate cross-shore conditions, but nothing special. The next solid standout window is Wednesday September 16th. Morning is clean with cross-offshore winds, 5ft SW swell at 15 seconds, and energy is moderate (1108). The afternoon turns glassy – light air from the northeast, 5ft SW swell, 14-second period, and the guidance says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s a proper afternoon session.

After that, the last few days taper off: Thursday September 17th is small, Friday September 18th gets slammed by near gale winds again.

So to wrap it up: Sunday September 6th is the absolute best of the best – glassy, solid SW groundswell, clean. Wednesday September 16th afternoon is your second-choice standout. The rest is either messy or small, so pick your windows carefully.

Rusty.

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