Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into this one.

This 16-day outlook is a gritty one, I’m not gonna lie. The only break on the radar is Yonabaru, and it’s taking a beating from the weather for a solid week before things get a little quieter. There’s no hidden gem here.

Thursday morning, August 6th, kicks off with a big, angry 12-foot east swell with a long 16-second period – that’s a lot of energy (7311). The water’s a warm 87°, a touch warmer than usual. But the wind is howling from the north at 19 mph, cross-shore, and it’s lumpy. This is way too much size for a beginner spot, and the conditions are poor. The afternoon gets even worse with a 13-foot swell and a 25 mph cross-shore. Hopeless.

Friday, August 7th, is a disaster. The morning has a 12-foot ENE swell, but a 43 mph gale from the NW? The wind is clean, but at that speed, you can’t surf. The afternoon is a 8-foot swell with a 53 mph offshore gale. You’d be nuts to go out.

Saturday, August 8th, through to Wednesday, August 12th, is a total washout. Storm-force winds, severe gales, constant thunderstorm risks. The swell drops to under 3 feet, but the wind is destroying everything. The wave energy is pathetic (between 59 and 285), and every session is marked as poor. Don’t even think about it.

From Thursday, August 13th, the wind finally starts to back off, but the swell is tiny. We’re talking 2 to 2 feet of east swell, mostly with a short period of 6 to 12 seconds. The afternoon of Friday, August 14th, is the first clean window in a week – a 2-foot, 12-second east swell with a 12 mph cross-offshore wind from the NNW (141 energy). It’s clean, but it’s barely a ripple.

The best of a bad lot is Saturday, August 15th. Both the morning and afternoon have a light 6 mph north wind, just a light cross-shore with small ripples. The swell is a consistent 2 feet from the east at 11 seconds (114 energy). It’s tiny, but it’s glassy. For a beginner spot like Yonabaru, this is the only time the water will be flat and friendly. Still, no standout. Just a small, mushy day.

The second week, starting August 16th, the wind switches onshore from the east, and the swell tries to build a little, but it’s all choppy. The morning of August 19th has a 5-foot east swell (390 energy), but with onshore wind at 12 mph. The 20th of August brings a 6-foot east swell, but again, onshore and messy. The period is short (7-9 seconds), so it’s weak and wind-battered.

So, the bottom line: there’s no standout session in this whole forecast. The only surfable moments are tiny, clean slivers on the 15th, and even those are barely worth a paddle. The rest is either blown out, too big, or flat. For this area, when the wind goes wrong, it can go wrong for a long stretch. Keep your hopes low, your board waxed for the 15th, and wait for a better set of charts.

Rusty.

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