Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Alright, let’s be honest – the next week and a half at Yonabaru is a real struggle. We’ve got a long, dry gap with nothing worth paddling out for from Sunday afternoon the 16th of August all the way through to the morning of Monday the 25th of August. That’s a solid stretch of onshore winds, short-period windswell, and mostly poor or marginal conditions. The water temp is sitting at 84°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year – nothing weird there.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday the 25th of August. By Tuesday morning, we get a clean 3ft swell from the ESE at 14 seconds, with a light offshore breeze from the WNW. The combined energy is moderate at 352 (moderate wave energy). That’s a proper groundswell, and with that offshore wind, it’s going to be glassy. The afternoon picks up a bit more – 4ft from the ESE at 15 seconds, combined energy 592 (moderate). Still clean, light NW breeze offering cross-off wind. This is the standout window for the whole forecast. Yonabaru is fairly exposed to the swell and the optimum direction is NE, so the ESE direction is a bit off but still works.

From Wednesday the 26th, the swell keeps building but the quality starts to drop. Wednesday morning sees 5ft from the ESE at 16 seconds (very long period), combined energy shooting up to 1027 (strong). That’s a lot of energy, but it’s cross-off wind and the surf conditions are called marginal. The period is very long, so at a beach break like this, it might break a bit too straight – better suited to a point or reef. Thursday the 27th morning has 6ft at 15 seconds, combined energy 1567 – that’s strong, but the wind goes cross-shore and there’s a slight chop. By Friday and Saturday the 28th and 29th, we’re looking at 6ft to 8ft from the ESE, with periods of 15-16 seconds and combined energy over 2000 (very strong). That’s big, powerful swell, but the wind is fresh and cross-off, so it’s not clean. This is expert territory – over 8ft at times – and the long period groundswell might be challenging for a beach break. For the following Monday the 31st of August, the surf drops to 5-6ft from the ENE, combined energy around 960-1207, but the wind is cross-shore and light rain is in the mix, so it’s not great.

Honestly, the best bet is Tuesday the 25th of August – that morning session with the offshore breeze and clean 3ft groundswell is the only real standout. The rest of the run is either too small, too windy, or too big and raw. If you’re an expert, the bigger days later in the month might offer some heavy, challenging waves, but don’t expect any perfection.

Rusty.

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