
Surf Forecasts:
Chinamans surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 6,760 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chinamans over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for our local patch.
The first week is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We're looking at a solid wait until Monday the 13th before anything decent shows up. The wind and swell are just all over the place, with a lot of messy, blown-out conditions. It's a long stretch of poor to marginal surf, so don't be in a rush.
Chinamans is the only break on the radar, and it's not a straightforward one. It's a reef setup, so it's for advanced crew only. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is pretty much average for this time of year—nothing wild there.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Monday 13th July. The morning is looking clean with a fresh breeze and a solid 12ft of SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. The energy is massive, with a combined energy reading of 9051. That's a lot of water moving. This is the standout session for the whole forecast. It's a big, powerful, long-period groundswell at a reef break, which means proper, lined-up waves. The afternoon hangs in there too, still clean with 12ft, though the energy drops a bit (7334). This is the one to circle on the calendar.
Tuesday 14th July still has size with 12ft in the morning, but the wind swings cross-shore, making it lumpy. The afternoon drops to 10ft with a cross-chop. Not the same quality.
Wednesday 15th July is a bit of a hidden gem. The swell drops to 7ft, but you get a glassy morning with a light NNW offshore wind (5 km/h). The period is still a lengthy 15 seconds. This is excellent for experienced surfers, with clean conditions and a lot of energy (2094). The afternoon is similar, clean with 7ft.
Thursday 16th July sees the swell really drop, down to 5ft, but the wind stays favourable. The morning is a bit messy, but the afternoon brings a gentle offshore breeze making for clean, fun little waves at 4ft.
The second week is a mixed bag, and the confidence drops. Sunday 19th July looks interesting but tricky. The morning has a strong offshore wind (45 km/h) and a 5ft, 19-second swell. That's a very long period, so it'll be powerful but a real battle to get out. The afternoon swings to a strong cross-off with 10ft, but it's a WSW wind with rain showers. The energy is high (6762), but the quality is marginal.
After that, it's a lot of average to poor conditions with onshore or cross-shore winds and dropping swell sizes through to the end of the month. There's a brief moment on Wednesday 22nd July afternoon with a clean 3ft, 15-second swell, but it's small.
To sum it up: Monday 13th July is your best bet—big, powerful, and clean. Wednesday 15th July is the sneaky good day for the more experienced crew looking for quality over size. The rest is a lot of waiting for the next proper pulse.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (near gales from the WSW on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu night, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Tue morning, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1068 | 2809 | 3588 | 2973 | 3293 | 6451 | 5953 | 5547 | 6410 | 5800 | 4084 | 2662 | 2094 | 1692 | 1290 | 899 | 716 | 1728 | 1654 | 1363 | 813 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:10AM0.97m | 12:14PM1.07m | 1:22AM0.26m | 1:06PM1.16m | 1:50AM0.30m | 1:51PM1.21m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:32PM1.22m | 2:54AM0.45m | 3:09PM1.19m | 3:30AM0.53m | 3:42PM1.12m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 1:01AM0.23m | 9:31PM0.21m | 3:57AM0.24m | 9:29PM0.18m | 5:42AM0.21m | 9:42PM0.16m | 6:52AM0.17m | 10:00PM0.16m | 7:50AM0.15m | 10:20PM0.16m | 8:40AM0.16m | 10:39PM0.17m | |||||||||
7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
Feels °C | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 22 | SW 20 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
— | — | — | 19 | 63 | 2295 | 3098 | 1787 | 3231 | 5800 | 4084 | 2662 | 2094 | 1692 | 1290 | 899 | 716 | 1728 | 1654 | 1363 | 813 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 289 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 61 | 375 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | N 4 | — | N 3 | — | N 4 |
1068 | 2809 | 3588 | 2973 | 3293 | 6451 | 5953 | 5547 | 6410 | 5169 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 16 | — | 3 | — | 10 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 728 | 968 | 968 | 1186 | 1313 | 729 | 1189 | 1332 | 729 | 738 | 1189 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
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.










