
Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 6,555 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Chinamans this week:
The surf forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chinamans in the next 16 days are 3.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up.
The next 16 days are gonna be a real mixed bag for this spot. A lot of wind and solid, but messy swell to start, so we gotta be patient. The clean windows are there, but they're short and spaced out.
First up, we’ve got a promising run from Thursday morning, July 9th into Friday, July 10th. Chinamans is an advanced reef setup that needs a SW swell. Thursday morning sees a solid 5 ft groundswell from the SW with a super long 15 second period, and the wind is a light cross-off. The energy’s moderate at 1083, and it’s looking clean as a whistle for experienced surfers. Thursday afternoon picks up to 6 ft with that same long-period SW (17 seconds) and the wind goes fully offshore from the NNW. Energy jumps to 2134 – that’s a solid window of proper, powerful reef waves. Friday morning holds with 6 ft swell and offshore NNW wind, energy at 1349, still clean. This Thursday into Friday morning stretch is the best on offer in the near term.
But then it gets ugly. Friday afternoon (July 10th) starts to drop off, and from Saturday, July 11th through to at least Monday, July 13th, we’re looking at a full-on jumble. Swell pushes 10 ft, but it’s coming with strong to fresh winds from the W and WSW, making it a cross or cross-off mess. The energy goes way up into the thousands (1230 to 6557), but the forecast calls it poor. That 10 ft wave height is too big for anyone but experts, and with that wind, it’s a washing machine.
There's a couple of marginal mornings on July 14th (Tuesday) and July 15th (Wednesday) with big 10 ft to 8 ft swell and lighter winds, but the direction is cross or cross-on. Not terrible, but not firing.
Then, finally, a real gem for the second week. We’ve got a gap of a few quiet days, but on Friday, July 17th, the afternoon shapes up beautifully. Swell is a clean 6 ft from the SW with a 15 second period, and the wind drops to dead glassy – zero mph. Energy sits at 1204, and the forecast says excellent for experienced surfers. That's the standout of the whole run. The tide and the offshore calm will make Chinamans peel perfectly.
Saturday, July 18th morning is also good, with the NNW offshore wind back on a 5 ft SW swell, but it’s not quite the magic of that glassy Friday.
We then get another rough patch from July 19th into the 20s, with more strong winds and lumpy conditions, but the end of the run on July 22nd and especially July 23rd and 24th looks like a massive long-period groundswell event. July 23rd morning shows a huge 12 ft swell from the SW with a 17 second period and energy off the charts at 12975, but the wind is cross-shore, so it’ll be lumpy. July 24th, Friday morning, brings a 8 ft groundswell back with glassy conditions – that could be another absolute cracker for the crew who wait it out.
Remember, this is a reef break, and that long-period groundswell (over 15 seconds) will have heaps of energy and long lulls between sets, making the paddle out easier, but it’s strictly for experts when it gets over 8 ft.
All in all, you want to be on it Thursday morning and Friday morning of the 9th and 10th, and then circle Friday the 17th afternoon and maybe that final Friday the 24th morning on your calendar.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed night, min 12°C on Sat afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 12°C on Sat night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wed 15 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 9 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1420 | 844 | 1837 | 1613 | 1349 | 949 | 598 | 1230 | 2157 | 2878 | 3454 | 2843 | 3195 | 4111 | 3463 | 5043 | 6242 | 4637 | 3102 | 2390 | 1915 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 8:06AM0.78m | 9:43AM0.87m | 11:10AM0.97m | 12:14PM1.07m | 1:22AM0.26m | 1:06PM1.16m | 1:50AM0.30m | 1:51PM1.21m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:32PM1.22m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 00:07AM0.25m | 00:21AM0.23m | 00:38AM0.23m | 1:01AM0.23m | 9:31PM0.21m | 3:57AM0.24m | 9:29PM0.18m | 5:42AM0.21m | 9:42PM0.16m | 6:52AM0.17m | |||||||||||
— | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | |
— | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
1420 | 844 | 1837 | 1613 | 1349 | 949 | 598 | — | — | — | — | — | 319 | 2129 | 3463 | 5043 | 6242 | 4637 | 3102 | 2390 | 1915 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 20 | SW 14 | — | — | W 5 | WSW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 21 | SSW 20 | — | SSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 239 | 297 | — | — | 11 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | 351 | 149 | — | 503 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WSW 9 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 12 | 29 | 85 | 1230 | 2157 | 2878 | 3454 | 2843 | 3195 | 4111 | 3094 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 74 | 1034 | 1040 | 1196 | 1196 | 1263 | 726 | 1189 | 1240 | 168 | 1034 | 1034 | 29 | 3 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Chinamans Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Chinamans provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Chinamans can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Chinamans surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Chinamans) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Chinamans may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Yorke Peninsula? If you are looking for accommodation near Chinamans, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Yorke Peninsula, consider staying in Kingscote which is 80 km (50 miles) away.











