Yonabaru Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in, because this is a wild ride. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Yonabaru. Honestly, the next 16 days are a bit of a rollercoaster, and it’s going to be a long wait before things get interesting.

The big picture is that we’ve got a lot of swell, but it’s almost all too big and messy for a beginner-friendly spot like Yonabaru. The water is sitting at 86°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be comfortable in boardshorts, but the conditions are going to be the real challenge.

Right now, we’re looking at a flat spell. The first few days are a write-off. Saturday, August 1st, and Sunday, August 2nd, are tiny, with only 1 ft to 2 ft of swell and a lot of cross-off wind. Not worth the paddle.

Monday, August 3rd, things start to pick up a little. We’ve got a 3 ft to 4 ft swell from the ESE with a long period of 15-17 seconds. There’s moderate power there, but the wind is cross-shore and it’s still just marginal. It’s surfable, but very ordinary.

The real story here is the swell that builds later in the week. Tuesday, August 4th, sees that ESE swell jump to 5 ft with a period of 18 seconds, and the energy is building. That’s a solid, powerful groundswell. But the wind is a cross-shore, making it a bit bumpy. By Wednesday, August 5th, it’s big. We’re looking at 8 ft to 10 ft of swell from the east, with a 18-second period. The energy is roaring. This is expert territory only. The break is exposed and the wind is cross-on, so it’s going to be a messy, choppy mess.

Then it gets even bigger. Thursday, August 6th, is a monster. 16 ft to 18 ft of east swell, with a 19-second period. The energy is massive. That’s enough to rearrange the sandbar. The wind is a strong cross-shore, so it’s a jungle out there. Friday, August 7th, is the peak. 21 ft to 26 ft of swell. The wind finally swings offshore on the Friday afternoon, but that 26 ft of swell is just too much for Yonabaru. The forecast actually says it’s “too big for this break.” That’s a mess of whitewater.

After that storm, the whole thing collapses. Saturday, August 8th, is a violent storm with 56 mph to 68 mph winds, smashing any hope of a session. The swell drops to 3 ft by the afternoon, but it’s still a windy disaster.

The next week is a total bust. From Sunday, August 9th, through to Sunday, August 16th, the wind is howling, mostly offshore but at gale force, making it impossible to paddle into anything. The swell hangs around 2 ft to 5 ft, but the period drops and the wind is just too strong. A complete gap of surfable conditions.

The only faint glimmer of hope is on Wednesday, August 12th. The morning is glassy with a 3 ft, 13-second period swell from the east. The energy is just moderate. It’s small, clean, and would be a nice little session for a longboard or a foamie, but it’s not a standout. The wind is glassy, which is a huge positive, but the swell is tiny.

So, to be brutally honest, there is no standout in this 16-day window. The best you’ll get is a few small, clean waves on the 12th, but everything else is either too big, too windy, or too small. If you’re a beginner, this is a dangerous stretch. For the experts, the big days on the 5th, 6th, and 7th are just too big and messy. For a beach break like this, the set-up honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing when the wind picks up.

It’s a blank run. It’s more normal for this area to have these kind of windows. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s best to give this one a pass.

Rusty.

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