Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the local stretch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the next few days are flat. Real flat. We’re talking tiny, weak dribble with no energy behind it. The southeast swells that are showing up are just too small and weak to do anything with. From Tuesday the 28th of July, all the way through to Sunday the 2nd of August, the combined energy of all swells directed here sits at a measly 40 (that’s weak) and barely climbs. Winds are light, sometimes glassy, which is a tease, but there’s just no swell to surf. It’s a proper flat spell, so don’t bother paddling out until later.

Now, things start to get interesting around Monday the 3rd of August. The morning shows a jump to 3 ft from the ESE with a period of 16 seconds – that’s a proper long-period groundswell starting to push in. Combined energy rises to 532 (moderate wave energy). Winds are cross-offshore from the NNW at 15 km/h, keeping it clean. By the afternoon, the swell builds to 4 ft from the ESE, still with that long 16-second period, and energy hits 821. The winds stay cross-off and clean. It’s not huge, but it’s quality. This is the first real window of the outlook.

The standout session, and I mean the one to circle on the calendar, is Tuesday the 4th of August. Morning brings 5 ft from the ESE with a period of 18 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell, the kind that feels like it’s been travelling for days. The combined energy of all swells directed here is 1447 (strong wave energy). The wind is cross-shore from the north at 15 km/h, which will keep it manageable. The afternoon gets a little bigger, hitting 6 ft from the ESE with 18 second period, but the wind picks up to 20 km/h and goes cross-shore, so the morning will be the cleaner call. The long period will mean the waves have real shape and power, but at a beach break, it might wall up and close out a bit. Best to look for a bank that handles that juice.

Then Wednesday the 5th of August, the swell cranks up to 7 ft to 8 ft from the east, with an 18 to 19-second period. The combined energy of all swells directed here hits 3118 to 4151 (strong wave energy). The wind is cross-onshore and cross-shore, with a risk of thunderstorms. This is getting big – too big for beginners and it’s pushing into expert territory. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly.

Thursday the 6th of August, the swell maxes out at 12 ft from the east with an 18 to 19-second period. The combined energy of all swells directed here is a massive 6918 to 9257 (very strong wave energy). Winds are cross-offshore from the NNW to NW at 20 km/h, so it’s clean. But here’s the rub: the guidance says the swell is predicted to be too big for Yonabaru. This is only for experts, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. The long period will make it dumpy and difficult.

After that, the swell drops back down but stays rideable through the weekend. Friday the 7th of August has 5 ft from the ENE, but with a strong 35 km/h cross-offshore wind, it’ll be a battle. Saturday the 8th of August sees 6 ft to 7 ft from the NNW to NW, with 35-40 km/h offshore winds. That’s clean but hard to paddle into – the wind is strong offshore and will be holding the waves up. Sunday the 9th of August calms down to 5 ft to 5 ft from the NW, with lighter winds, making for a cleaner, more manageable day.

After that, the window closes. From Monday the 10th of August onward, the swell drops off and the wind turns onshore. It’s back to small, weak, and choppy, with combined energy values dropping to 212 to 340 (weak wave energy). The period on the 12th of August drops to 6-7 seconds, which is just wind slop.

So, the best on offer is the Monday 3rd of August afternoon and the Tuesday 4th of August morning. The Tuesday morning window, with 5 ft of very long period ESE groundswell, clean cross-offshore winds, and strong energy, is the standout. The Monday afternoon is also a great call. Thursday is just too big for this spot.

Water temperature on the 28th is 86°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year – nothing to get excited about, just your usual warm summer bath.

Crowds at Yonabaru? It says “sometimes,” so you might have a few locals out, but it won’t be a circus.

That’s the picture. Keep your eye on the 3rd and 4th.

Rusty.

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