Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down the Yonabaru stretch over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bleak outlook, to be honest—a long, dry period before anything halfway decent shows up. The first real chance to paddle out isn’t until Thursday, September 3rd.

So, the pattern: Wednesday the 2nd is a total write-off—onshore wind and junk conditions. Don’t bother. On Thursday morning the 3rd, we finally get something. A 6ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period, and the wind is a cross-offshore from the NNW at 9 mph. That’s clean, and the water temp is a normal 84°, so no surprises. The wave energy is solid—moderate at 765. Yonabaru is a fairly consistent beginner-friendly spot, and with the wind cooperating, this Thursday morning is your best bet. Crowds can be around sometimes, so you might have company.

Thursday afternoon the 3rd is still okay: a 5ft, 10-second E swell with a proper offshore wind from the W at 16 mph. It’s clean, but energy drops to 541 and the wind is a bit stronger. Surfable, but not as good as the morning.

Then it falls apart. Friday the 4th has a tiny 3ft windswell from the N with a short 8-second period. The morning is clean but energy is weak (95), and it gets worse in the afternoon. Saturday the 5th through Monday the 7th is a real drag: messy cross-shore winds, tiny swell between 2ft and 4ft, and short periods. That’s a five-day gap of poor conditions.

Tuesday the 8th shows a little pulse: a 3ft, 12-second ESE swell in the morning—that long period is a quality sign, and energy picks up to 303. Wind is a clean cross-off from the NNW at 13 mph, but the forecast calls it “marginal” due to tide or something. Worth a look, but not a big standout.

From Wednesday the 9th onward, the wind cranks up. Wednesday the 9th has 16–19 mph cross-off winds, but the swell is inconsistent and energy is moderate (447 to 581). Thursday the 10th gets bigger—7ft from the NW with a 10-second period, energy is strong at 893—but wind hits 19-22 mph and the afternoon gets lumpy. That’s more for kite-surfing than paddling. With the swell over 7ft, it’s expert-only even if the wind was good, which it’s not.

The second week—from Friday the 11th to Wednesday the 16th—is mostly dud. Onshore and cross-onshore winds, small to moderate swell (3ft to 5ft), short periods under 9 seconds, and poor conditions. The only glimmer is Thursday the 17th of September: a 7ft, 11-second NW groundswell, very strong energy at 1068, and a clean cross-off wind from the N at 22 mph. It’s clean, but big—only for the experienced. And it’s a long way out, so don’t bank on it.

The one true standout? Thursday morning the 3rd of September at Yonabaru. Clean wind, 6ft ESE groundswell with a decent period, and moderate energy. Not perfect, but it’s the best of a bad run. Otherwise, save your energy for the next forecast window.

Rusty.

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