Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are going to be a real test of patience for anyone looking for a wave around Yonabaru. The ocean’s going to be full of energy, but most of it is just gonna be messy, onshore slop. If you’re a beginner or just want a clean, easy session, you might want to find something else to do for a while.

The long-range picture does have a pulse, but it’s a long way off and it’s not for the faint of heart. For the next week plus, it’s pretty grim. From Wednesday the 9th all the way through to Friday the 18th, we’re looking at a stretch with nothing worth paddling out for. Swell heights hover around the 1ft to 4ft mark with short, weak periods. The wind is mostly cross or onshore, keeping the surface chopped up. There’s a moment on the 12th and 13th where a bigger period shows up, but the swell is tiny and the wind is still junk. It’s not going to be any fun.

Then things get interesting, but it's a double-edged sword. On Saturday the 19th, we finally see some proper size roll in. The swell jumps to 5ft in the morning and pushes to 7ft by the afternoon, coming from the ESE with a solid 17-second period. The energy jumps to a strong 1581 then 2981. But the wind is cross-onshore and moderate, so it’s going to be lumpy and bumpy. It’s a marginal call at best, not the clean, lined-up waves we’d all be hoping for after such a flat spell.

Sunday the 20th is the only real standout, and it’s a serious one. The swell is up to a solid 10ft from the ESE with a 16-second period in the morning. That’s a lot of water. The combined energy is a massive 5177. This is big, expert-only territory. The wind is a fresh cross-shore breeze, so it won't be perfect, but there’s going to be plenty of power. Afternoon sees it back at a still-chunky 8ft with energy at 3487. For the experienced crew, this is the day to clear your schedule. If you’re not a pro, stay well clear. The size and the cross-wind will make it a washing machine.

After that blow-out, the ocean takes a breather. From Monday the 21st into Tuesday the 22nd, we get gale-force winds – we’re talking 37 to 43 mph – which will just shred the surface. The swell drops right back down. By Wednesday the 23rd, things get clean – actually glassy with offshore winds – but the swell is tiny, around 2ft. It’s pretty, but there’s nothing to ride.

The last call on Thursday the 24th is a bit of a tease. We get a clean little pulse of 4ft to 4ft from the ESE with a long 14-15 second period. The energy is back up to a moderate 537 to 769, and the winds are light and offshore. It looks clean, but the size is still pretty small and it’s over a week away, so treat it as promising but not guaranteed.

The water temp is 84°F, which is about normal for this time of year. The first real session we talk about, that big Sunday swell, the water will be right around that mark.

So, bottom line: don’t get excited about the near term. The standout is Sunday the 20th for the big-wave crew, and maybe a glimmer of hope on the 24th for something cleaner but smaller. The rest is a write-off.

Rusty.

Read more