Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Yonabaru over the next couple of weeks. First off, don’t get your hopes up too high—there’s a slow start, then a short window of clean fun before things get ugly and stay that way for a long stretch.

We’re kicking off Monday, 6th July, but it’s nothing to get excited about. The morning has a weak little 1ft swell from the SE—long period at 17 seconds, but the combined energy is real weak at just 98. The water’s sitting at 83°, which is about average for this time of year. Winds are light and cross-off, so it’s clean enough for a beginner to get a few soft ones, but it’s flat out ordinary. Afternoon picks up a bit to 2ft from the ESE, period still long at 16 seconds, energy bumping to 197—still surfable, but nothing exciting.

Now hold onto your board—Tuesday, 7th July is the standout. Morning starts glassy, dead calm, with a 3ft ESE swell running on a 13-second period and combined energy of 484. That’s a solid, clean wave for a spot like Yonabaru— gentle, lined up, and perfect for a longboard. Afternoon gets even better: 4ft from the SE, 16-second period, energy jumping to 792. Winds are light and cross-off again, so expect very good surf. This is the pick of the whole outlook—get out there Tuesday while it’s still clean and uncrowded (crowds are only sometimes, so you might even have it to yourself for a bit). The swell direction is from the SE, which matches the optimum NE direction for this break, so it’s not ideal directionally, but the quality and conditions make up for it. This is definitely for all levels, but if you’re a beginner, morning is your window.

Wednesday, 8th July, things start to go south. Morning is already 8ft from the SE with a long 18-second period—that’s big and powerful, with energy roaring to 3790. Wind is cross-on from the NNE and building, so it’s choppy and hard to manage. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, the conditions are marginal. Afternoon is 10ft from the SE, energy up to 5344, and wind swinging to NE at 13 mph cross-on—poor surf. Not worth paddling out unless you’ve got a death wish or a kite. Actually, with that much swell and onshore wind, it’s looking way more fun for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday, 9th July gets worse: risk of thunderstorms, 13ft to 15ft SE swell (energy hitting 10240 and 12066), and strong cross-on to onshore winds from the ENE at 19-22 mph. That’s a washing machine. Stay on the sand. Friday and Saturday, 10th and 11th July, are absolute write-offs—storms, gale-force winds up to 34 mph, and no measurable swell at all. Just don’t bother.

There’s a gap of several days with zero recommendations from Thursday 9th through to about the middle of the following week. Sunday, 12th July morning shows a brief 6ft ESE swell with a short 8-second period and energy of 373, but it’s cross-on and choppy—poor conditions. From there, it’s a long run of poor to non-existent surf: tiny blips of 0.7ft to 3ft on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th July, with light cross-on breezes, but all rated poor. Even when the swell picks up a bit between 17th and 21st July—around 3ft to 4ft from the ESE and E, with periods of 10-13 seconds and energies ranging from 162 to 563—the wind is mostly onshore and moderate to fresh, so it’s never clean or inviting. Conditions stay poor right through to Tuesday, 21st July afternoon.

So here’s the deal: the only real standout is Tuesday, 7th July. That’s your session. Everything else is either too big and messy, too small and choppy, or just plain absent. The breaks in between are long, so don’t hold your breath. It’s a tough run for Yonabaru, but that Tuesday morning glass-off is a beauty if you can get it.

Rusty.

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