
Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, SSW swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, SSW swell with 1,860 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lake Ferry this week:
The surf forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, g’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Lake Ferry. This is a sandbar break on a lake, so we’re not dealing with ocean conditions here. The outlook starts on Tuesday, 21 July, and runs for sixteen days, but there’s a bit of a quiet spell in the middle.
The first real surf window kicks off Tuesday morning, the 21st, with a clean 7ft SSW swell running on a long 14-second period. That’s a proper groundswell with a lot of energy behind it (1474). The wind is a light offshore from the NNE, so the face will be holding up nicely. This is a serious wave though – only for experienced surfers, as it’s pushing over 5ft. The water temp is about average for the time of year here. That afternoon, it drops to 6ft with the same SSW direction, still clean, and the wind stays light and cross-off. Not a bad day.
Wednesday the 22nd offers a real treat: glassy conditions. The morning sees a 4ft S swell (363) and the afternoon goes even smaller but cleaner with a 3ft SSW swell (283). Both sessions are glassy – no wind at all – so it’ll be silky smooth. This is the standout of the early period. The swell is a bit smaller, but the quality will be there.
Thursday the 23rd is a drop-off. The morning has a tiny 2ft SSW swell (97) with a light offshore, but it’s barely surfable. The afternoon sees the wind swing to a fresh 30 km/h cross-off, and the wave drops to 1ft. Not worth paddling out.
Then we hit a dead zone. From Friday the 24th right through to Sunday the 27th, the surf is either too small, blown out, or just messy. There’s a spike on Saturday afternoon, the 25th, with an 12ft SSW swell (1880) but it’s accompanied by onshore rain and 25 km/h wind – a total washout. Monday the 27th morning has an 8ft SSW swell (671) with cross-shore wind, but it’s marginal. That afternoon, the wind turns cross-off and the swell drops to 8ft (759) – it’s clean and better, but still a big wave for the sandbar.
Tuesday the 28th is a strange one. The morning has a 3ft ESE swell (489) but onshore wind ruins it. The afternoon though – glassy again, with the same 3ft ESE swell (354). That’s a clean, small wave for a quiet session.
From Wednesday the 29th to Thursday the 30th, it’s tiny and mostly poor. Friday the 31st morning brings a 3ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period (392) and light cross-off wind – clean and promising for a point or reef, but at a sandbar on a lake, that long period might make it break a bit straight. Still, it’s the best of a quiet run.
Now, the big news. Saturday, 1 August, sees a massive 10ft SSW swell (1305) with glassy conditions in the morning. But the finder says it’s too big for this break, so it’s expert-only territory, and even then, it might be a washing machine. Sunday the 2nd drops to 7ft (1550) with clean cross-off wind – excellent for experienced surfers, and a genuine standout for the second week. Monday the 3rd is a monster: 21ft SSW swell (15305) – that’s huge energy, and again, too big for the break. Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th stay well over 13ft, with very strong energy, but the same warning applies: too big for this spot.
If you’re an experienced surfer, the best windows are Tuesday the 21st, Sunday the 2nd, and maybe the glassy mornings on Wednesday the 22nd and Tuesday the 28th. The long-range stuff on the 2nd is promising but less certain – keep an eye on it. For everyone else, there’s not much to get excited about until the small clean windows come back.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu afternoon, min 4°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu night, min 4°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Thu night, calm by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | S 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 16 | WSW 5 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
2943 | 1462 | 1058 | 519 | 341 | 258 | 155 | 82 | 55 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 63 | 1860 | 398 | 267 | 285 | 460 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:05PM1.28m | 10:34AM1.23m | 10:57PM1.22m | 11:27AM1.22m | 11:48PM1.17m | 12:16PM1.21m | 00:35AM1.14m | 1:02PM1.20m | 1:21AM1.11m | 1:47PM1.20m | 2:05AM1.10m | 2:30PM1.21m | 2:49AM1.09m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:24AM0.07m | 4:48PM0.12m | 5:13AM0.12m | 5:40PM0.17m | 6:00AM0.16m | 6:30PM0.21m | 6:45AM0.20m | 7:18PM0.24m | 7:28AM0.22m | 8:04PM0.25m | 8:11AM0.24m | 8:49PM0.26m | |||||||
— | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | — |
Temp °C | 7 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Feels °C | 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SE 14 | SSW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SE 13 |
2943 | 1462 | 1058 | 519 | 341 | 258 | 155 | 82 | 55 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 41 | 8 | 398 | 84 | 53 | 46 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SE 13 | SE 17 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SSW 14 |
13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 64 | 54 | 51 | 38 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SE 11 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 14 | SE 13 | E 18 | NW 15 | SSW 16 | ENE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
— | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 40 | 41 | 74 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | WSW 5 | SSW 8 | — | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 |
— | 5 | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | 19 | 91 | 277 | 148 | 252 | 80 | 63 | 1860 | — | 267 | 285 | 460 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 31 | 158 | 153 | 154 | 34 | 34 | 91 | 9 | 64 | 164 | 64 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lake Ferry Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lake Ferry provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lake Ferry can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lake Ferry surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Lake Ferry) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Lake Ferry may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Lake Ferry is 28 km (17 miles) from Lower Hutt. If you plan a holiday in The Wairarapa, look for hotels and other accommodation in Lower Hutt. Lower Hutt has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










