Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve got the surf lowdown for your area over the next couple of weeks. The pick of the whole forecast is going to be Tuesday the 7th of July, with a real standout session on the cards for Yonabaru. Before that, though, we’ve got a bit of a waiting game. The early part of the outlook is pretty flat and ordinary, with nothing worth paddling out for at Yonabaru on Sunday the 5th or Monday the 6th – those tiny waves under 2 feet and cross-off winds just aren’t giving us much to work with.

Come Tuesday morning the 7th, things suddenly get interesting. The swell comes up to 3 ft from the ESE, and check it out – we’ve got glassy conditions with NW winds at 6 mph. That is a major positive, meaning the surface will be real clean. The combined wave energy is moderate at 484, and by Tuesday afternoon it jumps to 4 ft from the SE with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the wave energy ramps up to 739. The wind stays glassy from the NW at 6 mph, and the forecast is calling for very good surf conditions. That afternoon session is the top standout of the whole 16-day run – clean, long-period groundswell pushing in with moderate energy. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Now, Wednesday the 8th sees the swell jump up big time – 8 ft in the morning, 10 ft in the afternoon from the SE, with a long period of 18 seconds. That’s big surf, over 8 ft, so it’s really only for experts. But the problem is the wind goes cross and then cross-off from the NNE at 12 to 12 mph, plus the combined energy is strong at 3993 and 4761. Conditions are marginal, so not the best call even if you’re experienced.

From Thursday the 9th onward, the outlook gets pretty grim. The swell just keeps pumping up to 13 ft to 16 ft but with strong cross-onshore winds from the ENE at 18 to 22 mph, and the energy gets very strong (10122 to 15492). That’s blown out, messy, and poor. There’s a real block of several days from Thursday the 9th all the way through to Monday the 13th with nothing recommended. The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, often strong, and we see some tropical storm risks. Even when the swell drops back to 1 ft on Monday the 13th, the wind is onshore and the energy is weak at 17 to 23. Not worth it.

By Tuesday the 14th, the swell is back up to 10 ft from the SE, but the period is short (8 to 9 seconds) and the wind is onshore from the east. The energy is moderate to strong (979 to 1624), but conditions are poor to marginal. The same story runs through Wednesday the 15th. Then on Thursday the 16th, we get a massive 13 ft swell from the east with a period of 11 seconds and very strong energy at 5998. The notes say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, and with the risk of thunderstorms and onshore wind, it’s a miss.

The final few days from Friday the 17th to Monday the 20th are all poor conditions with onshore or cross-onshore winds and messy seas. So, to sum it up: your one true standout is Tuesday the 7th of July, especially the afternoon glass-off at Yonabaru. Get it while it’s clean.

- Rusty

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