Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this is a real tough stretch for Okinawa. The numbers are saying there's nothing good on the cards for the next two and a half weeks. No standout days, nothing to get excited about. We've got a solid block of poor conditions from now all the way through to the 25th. It’s one of those periods where you might be better off fixing a ding or just going for a swim.

Looking at Yonabaru, it's a fairly consistent beginner wave that's fairly exposed to the swell. The water temp is sitting at 84°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no shock there. But the trouble is relentless onshore wind. From Thursday the 10th right through the week, it’s all cross or onshore, with a light breeze kicking up wind ripples. The swell is tiny and weak, with combined energy barely cracking 200 (low energy). It's not even worth paddling out for.

The weekend of the 13th and 14th gets a bit more size, with swell hitting around 4ft on Saturday and 6ft by Monday afternoon, but the wind turns harder onshore and the ocean gets choppy. The period is short too, between 6 and 9 seconds, so the waves will be soft and bumpy. The combined energy on the 14th jumps to 756 (moderate energy) but the wind is just ruining it.

Midweek from the 16th to the 18th is more of the same – onshore winds, weak swell, poor surf. The 18th does see a spike in period to 16 seconds (very long period groundswell) with energy hitting 1103 (strong), but the wind is still cross-onshore and the waves are lumpy. That's a tease, not a treat.

Now, we get a big swell event starting the 19th of September. It’s not a good one. Saturday the 19th morning there's a solid 10ft from the ESE, with a 17-second period and a massive 4974 combined energy (very strong). But there's a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind putting lumpy chop all over it. This is an expert-only wave at best, and honestly, it looks more like a kiteboarding day than a paddle session. The afternoon it jumps to 12ft and 22 mph winds – a blown-out mess.

Sunday the 20th is even worse. 12ft of swell, but we’re looking at near-gale force winds at 34 mph, completely blasting the surface. The 21st brings violent storm-force winds. Dangerous and ugly. By the 22nd, the wind finally switches offshore from the WSW, but the swell is dropping fast and the energy is fading. The morning of the 22nd has a clean 7ft wave with a 12-second period and 1069 energy (strong), but by the afternoon the offshore wind is so strong (28 mph) that paddling in will be a mission. It's clean but hard work.

After that, it’s back to tiny, weak swell with clean but weak conditions through to the 25th. Honestly, save your energy and wait for the next system to come through with better wind. This is a blank run, and in this area, that's just the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but for now, there's nothing to chase.

Rusty.

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