Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I'm looking at the surf outlook for Yonabaru. I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one for the next couple of weeks. The energy is there, but the conditions are just refusing to line up for a proper paddle session.

We start off with a real dud. From Sunday the 30th of August right through to Sunday the 6th of September, it’s a write-off. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the surf quality is just poor. Even when the swell gets a bit of push on the 1st of September, with a 8ft east swell, the onshore wind and risk of thunderstorms ruin it. The combined energy climbs all the way up to 1349 (moderate wave energy), but it’s all for nothing. Then we get a big drop, with the swell getting tiny and messy.

The week of the 7th to the 9th is a bit of a tease. The swell picks up a little, and the period stretches out to 11-12 seconds, which is proper groundswell. Combined energy hits 894 (moderate) on the 9th, but the wind is still onshore, keeping everything in the “poor” category.

Now, the 10th and 11th of September is where things get interesting, but not for the right reasons. On Thursday the 10th, we’ve got a 7ft swell from the ESE at 13 seconds (very long period), and the combined energy jumps to 2271 (strong). The wind is onshore, though, so it’s a messy, choppy mess. The reports say "marginal" at best.

Then comes Friday the 11th. This is the big one. We’re looking at a 15ft swell, but it’s coming from the NNW and NW. That’s a massive, powerful swell, and the combined energy is a whopping 6047 (very strong wave energy). The wind is cross-onshore, and the report warns that the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. At over 8ft, this is expert territory only. This is not a day for a beginner, and honestly, for a spot like this, it looks more like a windows-down, drive-past-and-watch kind of day. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that, the swell drops off a cliff. Saturday the 12th is flat with a tiny 1ft. Then on Sunday the 13th, we get a brief pulse of 8ft from the NW with a 12-second period, but it’s cross-onshore again and the quality is only marginal. The energy is high at 2543 (strong), but the wind is the enemy.

The outlook finishes on Monday the 14th with a 5ft swell from the NW, but the wind is still cross-onshore, and it’s back to poor conditions.

So, the honest truth? There are no standouts in this 16-day window. The swell is either too small, too messy, or way too big for the conditions. The water temperature is about 84° on the first day, which is normal for the time of year, but that’s little comfort when the surf is a mess. We’re looking at a long, blank run here. It’s a classic case of "the waiting game." Keep your eyes on the charts, because it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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