Chinamans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your stick, let's see what's coming our way over the next couple of weeks.

There's a bit of a slow start, but patience is going to pay off for those who know this spot. We're looking at a solid run of SW groundswell, but the early part of the week is going to be a fight with the wind.

The first surf to even think about is at Chinamans (reef). The water's sitting around 59°, so pretty normal for August. Saturday morning the 15th has some size, 8ft of SW swell, but it's coming in with a cross-on breeze that's got it choppy and ugly. That combined energy is high, at 2620 (moderate energy), but the quality just isn't there. Saturday afternoon gets stronger wind and a score of zero – a total write-off. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th are more of the same; wind is just ruining it.

We start to see a real change on Tuesday morning, the 18th. The wind finally swings to a clean cross-offshore from the NNE, and we've got a nice, clean 5ft SW groundswell. The energy is still moderate at 1297, but it'll be glassy. This is where it starts to get good for the experienced crew. It's a reef break, so that long period swell (17 seconds) will wrap in nicely. Tuesday afternoon drops off a touch but stays clean.

Wednesday the 19th is blown out by fresh winds, but keep your eye on Thursday, the 20th. Thursday morning with light offshore breezes and 5ft of clean SW swell – the energy is strong at 1569, and the report is calling it "excellent" for the experienced. That's a proper session if you can get out of work.

Now, Friday the 21st things get serious. That swell jumps to a solid 10ft from the SW. But Friday morning has strong NW winds (22 mph) keeping it clean-ish. For the experts, it's on, but the power is huge (4800 energy). The afternoon turns into a messy cross-shore mess with 25 mph winds though. Saturday the 22nd holds that 10ft size, and the morning has a clean onshore wind that might offer some shelter, with the energy still pumping over 4000. The afternoon looks cleaner with lighter winds and a glassy cross-shore. Big, powerful, one for the experienced only.

But the real standout, the one you circle on the calendar, is Monday, the 24th of August. This is the best forecast of the whole run. We're talking a 10ft SW groundswell with a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is massive at 5989. And the wind? Light offshore from the NW in the morning with clear skies. The report calls it "exceptional for expert surfers." That is a bomb of a day at Chinamans. The afternoon holds excellent with 8ft and gentle offshore winds too.

After that peak, Tuesday the 25th is blown apart by gale-force winds, and Wednesday the 26th is just a write-off with rain and more crazy wind. There's another pulse late in the run, on Saturday, the 29th of August, with a 8ft WSW groundswell and a very long 21-second period. The energy is strong again at 5885, but the wind is cross-offshore and the period is so long it might be a bit straight for a reef setup, though still worth a look for the experts.

Bottom line: The first week is mostly about waiting for the clean windows on the 18th, 20th, and the big clean day on the 22nd. The absolute standout is Monday the 24th – that's your best shot at a truly epic session with the most power and perfect clean conditions, but it's strictly for experts at that size.

Rusty.

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