Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the next 16 days look pretty grim for Yonabaru. This is a beginner-friendly spot, fairly exposed, and it likes swell from the NE. But the forecast is a long, painful stretch of poor surf conditions with only a couple of brief windows that might get your heart racing, but they’re not for the faint of heart.

The first real action comes on Monday, August 25th in the morning. There’s a massive 12ft swell from the ESE, with a very long period of 17 seconds. The combined energy is 7776 (strong to very strong wave energy). But here’s the catch – that’s way too big for this break. The water temp is a warm 84°F, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, so it’s messy. This is for experts only, and honestly, with that much power and a long period, it’s going to be a close-out machine at a beach break. Not ideal for paddling, you’ll be chewing foam.

The afternoon of the 25th is the standout. The swell drops slightly to 13ft from the E, with a period of 16 seconds (still very long period). The combined energy is 7522. The wind swings to a clean cross-offshore from the NNW at 19 mph. The report says “wind and tide favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break.” This is the only moment in the entire forecast where the wind is clean and the quality is hinted at, but it’s a beast. If you’re an expert paddler and you can handle a heavy, long-period groundswell on a fairly exposed beach, this is your one and only window. Crowds are possible here, so expect some company for the few that dare.

After that, it’s a wasteland. Wednesday the 26th has a 10ft NW swell but 31 mph offshore winds – that’s a near gale, making it nearly impossible to paddle into. The rest of the first week and the entire second week are a write-off. From the 27th of August through to the 7th of September, it’s a constant run of poor surf conditions. Swells are undersized, periods are short, and the wind is either cross-onshore, onshore, or just too strong. There’s a glimmer on Saturday, September 5th with a 4ft SE swell and clean offshore winds from the W at 16 mph, but the combined energy is only 146 (weak) and the period is a pathetic 6 seconds. It’s surfable, but flat and ordinary.

The long-range stuff from the 1st to the 7th of September shows big swells again (10ft to 13ft), but the wind is always cross-onshore or onshore, or just too damn strong. The combined energy is moderate to strong, but the quality is never there. It’s a classic case of “big and ugly.”

To be honest, if you’re not an expert, you’re looking at a two-week dry spell. For the rest of us, Tuesday afternoon, August 25th, is the only thing that’s worth pulling on a wetsuit for. The rest is for the kite surfers, not the paddle surfers.

Rusty.

Read more