Chirimena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and let me walk you through what’s happening at Chirimena. This is a beach and reef set-up, exposed to the north-northeast, which is exactly where the swell should be coming from to get the best out of it. Right now, through the start of the forecast, we’re looking at a real flat spell. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a write-off. We’ve got weak, short-period windswell in the 4ft to 4ft range, period hanging around 6 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on shore. That’s creating a real mess – choppy, bumpy, poor surf conditions across the board. The combined swell energy is low, mostly under 170 (weak energy), so there’s just no punch. You’d be wasting your time paddling out.

That flat, bumpy run continues right through until the 30th of August. Then on the 31st of August, Monday morning, we finally get a tiny window of cleaner conditions. The wind goes light cross-off, the wave height drops to 3ft, and the combined energy is only 96 (weak), but it’s the first time we see the word “clean” in the notes. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Still, if you’re desperate, that’s your best bet for the entire first week.

Then we go back into a long stretch of poor surf. The winds stay cross or cross-on, the swell is weak and short-period, and the combined energy stays under 220 (still weak to moderate). There’s a brief moment on the 4th of September, Friday morning, with another clean, cross-off window and 3ft waves, but again, it’s very ordinary. The 5th and 6th of September mornings also offer clean, cross-off conditions, but the swell is still tiny – 4ft to 4ft – and the period is 6 seconds. It’s rideable but nothing to get excited about.

The real standout doesn’t show up until the 9th of September, Wednesday morning. We’ve got a 6ft swell from the east-northeast with a 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 268 (moderate). The wind is gentle cross-shore, so there’s only a slight cross-chop. It’s still labeled “marginal” but it’s the best we’ve seen. And then the 10th of September, Thursday morning, brings a 5ft swell from the same direction, 7-second period, and combined energy of 307 (moderate). Again, gentle cross-shore winds. That’s the pick of the entire 16-day window. The swell direction is east-northeast, which is off the optimum north-northeast, but it’s close enough to get some fun lines on the reef. Just keep in mind the short period means the waves won’t have much grunt, and it’ll be a bit lumpy.

Overall, Chirimena is mostly a dud for the first two weeks. The best chance for a surf is Monday 31st August morning, Friday 4th September morning, and then the most promising window is Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th September mornings. If you’ve got a high-performance shortboard, you might get some workable walls on the 9th and 10th, but it’s far from epic. For beginners, the small clean days on the 31st and 4th are your best bet, but the water’s warm and the crowds are only sometimes an issue, so you won’t be fighting for waves.

Rusty

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