Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – the outlook for the next two weeks around Yonabaru is a tough one. There’s a big gap at the start with no real surf on offer, and when the swell finally shows up, conditions are usually too messy to enjoy. If you’re a beginner just looking to get wet on tiny, clean waves, there are a couple of windows, but for anyone after proper waves, this is a real test of patience.

The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until Thursday the 23rd of July. Early that morning, the swell is a tiny 2ft from the east with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind is glassy. The water temperature is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 81°, which is a couple of degrees cooler than usual. The combined swell energy is weak (70), so you’re looking at small, soft waves. For a beginner at Yonabaru, it’s a rare moment of clean, tiny surf, but it’s nothing to get excited about.

The standout, if you can call it that, comes on the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. The swell picks up to 2ft from the southeast, but with a very long period of 14 seconds, giving it a bit more push. The combined energy jumps to moderate (127). However, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the northeast at 22 mph, making it lumpy and messy. The swell direction (SE) is not ideal for Yonabaru, which prefers northeast. The long period will make the waves straighter and less organised at this beach, so it’s not a good bet for a clean session.

The afternoon of the 27th of July brings a massive 10ft swell from the east-southeast, with a period of 15 seconds and a very strong combined energy of 4108. But the wind is a storm-force cross-off at 59 mph, making it completely blown out. This is a day for keeping the boards in the car – it’s dangerous and unsurfable. The wind does turn clean offshore on the 28th, but the swell is dropping fast and the wind is still strong, making it a hard paddle.

For the rest of the second week, the swell stays small, with the best conditions being clean but tiny. The 29th of July morning offers 4ft from the north-northeast with a fresh cross-off breeze, giving clean but average waves. It’s a marginal call, and the combined energy (511) is moderate. The crowd factor at Yonabaru is “sometimes” busy, so a midweek morning might be pretty quiet.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, the glassy morning of Thursday the 23rd of July is your best bet for clean, knee-high waves. For anything bigger, you’re waiting until the 29th, but even then, it’s not a standout. The runs of poor surf are long – from now until the 23rd, and then again from the 26th afternoon through to the end of the period, it’s mostly blown out or tiny. For kite surfing, the 27th and 28th have the wind, but for paddle surfing, it’s a quiet stretch.

Rusty.

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