Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, SSW swell with 6,696 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s 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 (Sep 01) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 3.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gather 'round, crew. Rusty here, looking at the upcoming stretch for Lake Ferry. It's a tale of two extremes for this sandbar setup: some absolute monsters early on that are way too big for a safe paddle, and then a long, drawn-out period of small, blown-out slop. The water temp sits at 54°F, pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year. We're gonna have to be patient.
The first days of September are a no-go for paddling. Tuesday the 1st kicks off with a solid 13ft SSW groundswell, period at a meaty 12 seconds. The combined energy is through the roof at (7872), but that's a death wish for a beach break. Winds are cross-off and clean, but the sheer size makes it an expert-only or, more realistically, a no-go zone. Wednesday the 2nd sees a 10ft SSW groundswell with a whopping 17-second period (5103 combined energy). Again, cross-off winds keep it looking pretty, but it's just too much. Thursday the 3rd drops to a more manageable 4ft from the SSW (511), but a stiff 22 mph cross-off breeze would make it a battle.
Things go flat and ugly from Thursday the 3rd afternoon right through to Saturday the 5th. We're looking at tiny, weak waves under fresh breezes. Sunday the 6th through Tuesday the 9th sees a pulse of smaller, messy swell and mostly strong, onshore winds – just grim.
Now, if you're patient, there's a little window. Thursday the 10th morning is the standout of the whole period. We've got a clean 3ft S swell with a period of 9 seconds (214 combined energy). The wind swings to a light 6 mph NNE offshore – that's "off" wind, meaning glassy conditions for that sandbar. This is the only time in the next two weeks where the stars line up for a proper surf. It'll be small and clean, perfect for a longboard or a funboard. Just a heads up, this spot is fairly consistent, but it can get a crowd sometimes, so get out there early.
After that, Friday the 11th offers a glimmer with another offshore morning (3ft S, gentle offshore breeze), but the afternoon gets a little bumpy. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th see a return of small, clean-ish waves from the SSW (2ft to 3ft) with long periods, but the energy is low and the wind isn't quite perfect. Monday the 14th through Wednesday the 16th is a write-off – small, messy swell with onshore or strong cross-off winds.
So, the bottom line: one solid window on Thursday the 10th morning for clean, small waves. Everything else is either too big, too small, or too windy. It's a tough stretch, but that one morning might just be worth the wait.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Tue morning, strong winds from the NNW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Fri morning, light winds from the NNW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | S 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4623 | 5316 | 3296 | 5103 | 2930 | 1249 | 511 | 336 | 156 | 35 | 24 | 42 | 311 | 337 | 166 | 80 | 64 | 49 | 1611 | 4174 | 3626 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | on |
High Tide | 8:05PM1.19m | 8:31AM1.22m | 8:57PM1.20m | 9:23AM1.26m | 9:50PM1.20m | 10:17AM1.31m | 10:43PM1.21m | 11:11AM1.35m | 11:37PM1.23m | 12:06PM1.38m | 00:31AM1.24m | 1:01PM1.40m | 1:26AM1.25m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:58PM0.15m | 2:23AM0.16m | 2:51PM0.14m | 3:12AM0.14m | 3:45PM0.12m | 4:02AM0.12m | 4:38PM0.10m | 4:54AM0.09m | 5:32PM0.09m | 5:46AM0.07m | 6:27PM0.07m | 6:40AM0.04m | 7:22PM0.06m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  | |
 | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
Feels °C | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | S 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | NW 9 | — | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 3249 | 5316 | 3296 | 5103 | 2930 | 1249 | 511 | 336 | 156 | 35 | 16 | 32 | 311 | 337 | 166 | 77 | 33 | 18 | 12 | — | 3626 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 18 | — | SE 11 | — | — | SE 12 | E 9 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | ENE 9 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 246 | — | 5 | — | — | 5 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 42 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 80 | 48 | 49 | 9 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | S 9 | NNW 9 | NW 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 23 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 64 | 49 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | — | NW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 4 | NW 2 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 11 | — |
| kJ | 4623 | — | 27 | 23 | 60 | 171 | 206 | 286 | 177 | 674 | 202 | 176 | 11 | 1 | 99 | 352 | 879 | 182 | 1611 | 4174 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 25 | 9 | 27 | 9 | 31 | 91 | 91 | 82 | 82 | 140 | 253 | 130 | 9 | 27 | 82 | 158 | 140 | 140 | 140 | 227 | 47 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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