Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, S swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, SSW swell with 7,782 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period with S 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 5.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 18ft (5.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get stuck into what's on the table for our local stretch over the next couple of weeks.
Alright, let's be honest from the get-go: this is a challenging forecast. The good news is, there's plenty of swell on the way, but for the most part, it's going to be way too big, blown out, or just plain messy. We're looking at a solid week of waiting before things clean up. The water is sitting at 52°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so a good thick wetsuit is a must.
The first real standout is a brief window of opportunity on Thursday, the 20th of August. The morning is looking magic at Lake Ferry (sandbar). The wind will be glassy, swinging light from the NNW, and we'll see a clean 6ft south swell with a solid 12-second period. The combined energy is moderate (839), so there'll be some push. That afternoon stays clean as the wind goes light cross-off from the NW, with 5ft of waist-to-chest high swell. This is the best clean surf on offer, but it's a short-lived window.
The next potential is a bit of a gamble but worth keeping an eye on. Thursday, the 27th of August, the afternoon sees a significant 8ft south-southwest groundswell with a very long 16-second period and massive energy (4131). The wind is light cross-shore from the west. That's a lot of ocean energy, and with that period, it'll be a proper, powerful groundswell. At this size, it's expert-only territory, and at a sandbar, it might be a bit too straight and tricky to handle. Still, if the wind holds, it could be a heavyweight session for the brave.
There are a few other mornings with clean conditions and smaller swell, like Monday the 24th with a 3ft south-southwest swell, but the wind is generally stronger and cross-off, making it a bit of a battle. The long-range stuff on the 28th shows some promise with 6ft swell and clean cross-off winds, but the quality is flagged as marginal, so don't book the road trip just yet.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 10°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2555 | 1217 | 564 | 356 | 272 | 1752 | 5149 | 7263 | 4740 | 4574 | 1834 | 814 | 698 | 576 | 519 | 839 | 484 | 209 | 117 | 51 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:49PM1.32m | 8:16AM1.25m | 8:43PM1.26m | 9:11AM1.24m | 9:36PM1.22m | 10:04AM1.23m | 10:28PM1.18m | 10:54AM1.22m | 11:17PM1.14m | 11:42AM1.21m | 00:03AM1.12m | 12:27PM1.21m | 00:48AM1.10m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:11AM0.06m | 2:34PM0.07m | 3:02AM0.09m | 3:29PM0.11m | 3:52AM0.13m | 4:21PM0.16m | 4:40AM0.16m | 5:11PM0.19m | 5:26AM0.20m | 5:59PM0.22m | 6:10AM0.22m | 6:44PM0.24m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — |
 | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 20 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | — | — | SE 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 38 | 273 | 376 | 356 | 33 | 90 | 10 | — | — | 7 | 1834 | 814 | 698 | 576 | 519 | 839 | 484 | 209 | 117 | 51 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 8 | SE 14 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 13 | S 16 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 15 | E 13 | E 12 |
| kJ | 73 | 9 | 9 | 78 | 8 | 72 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 7 | 188 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 15 | ESE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 11 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | E 9 | ESE 12 | — | E 12 | — | SSW 13 |
| kJ | — | 9 | 23 | 9 | 31 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 14 | — | 3 | — | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 14 | — | — | NW 3 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 |
| kJ | 2555 | 1217 | 564 | 245 | 272 | 1752 | 5149 | 7263 | 4740 | 4574 | — | — | 2 | 27 | 171 | 249 | 297 | 318 | 150 | 178 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 236 | 112 | 91 | 106 | 91 | 91 | 224 | 236 | 112 | 106 | 91 | 9 | 29 | 9 | 27 | 82 | 94 | 91 | 91 | 138 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Wairarapa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Lake Ferry surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest