
Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 17 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,419 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 11 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 15s 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 Saturday (Jul 11) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 1.9m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty bleak start. Friday and Saturday are a write-off with poor, choppy conditions and no real surf to speak of. The wind is all over the shop and the swell is a messy cross-on situation. Just keep the board in the car for now.
Things start to turn around on Sunday morning. The wind swings offshore from the NNE at about 6 mph, and we get a clean 3ft swell from the SSW with a long 12-second period. That’s a groundswell, so it’ll have some push and shape. The afternoon goes glassy flat with a 3ft S swell, near perfect. Not big, but clean. The combined energy is moderate (352 and 254), so nothing too hectic.
Monday morning is offshore again with a clean 1ft SSW swell, but it’s tiny. The real bright spot this week is Sunday. That’s your best bet for a clean, cruisy session if you’re not chasing size.
The middle of the week, from Tuesday to Thursday, is a real struggle. The wind picks up, the swell drops to tiny 0.7ft to 1ft, and the energy is weak (20 to 154). Not worth paddling out for.
By Friday (17th July) the swell tries to build a bit but the wind is onshore and strong, and we’re looking at rain showers. It’s a mess. That trend continues into Saturday with marginal conditions.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Sunday 19th July brings a glassy morning with a 3ft SSW groundswell (14-second period). The wind is offshore at about 6 mph. That’s clean and will have some nice lines. Then Monday 20th July sees a jump in size: expect a 7ft S swell on the morning with glassy conditions. The wind is light from the ENE. That’s good, but the period is short (6 seconds), so it’ll be a bit lumpy and weaker.
The standout for the whole period, if you’re an experienced surfer, is Tuesday 21st July. The swell from the S hits 12ft with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is light cross-off from the ENE at about 6 mph, keeping it clean. The combined energy is massive (1481 in the morning, 1958 in the afternoon). This is a big, powerful swell. However, that size is too much for beginners and probably at the limit for most. The forecast says it might be too big for this break, so only the experts should even think about it. This is the big one.
Wednesday 22nd July starts off promising with a clean 6ft SSW groundswell (16-second period) and a light offshore NNE wind at about 6 mph. The combined energy is huge (2033). That’s excellent for experienced surfers, with long-period lines. But the afternoon blows out with a 10ft swell that’s too big again.
The following week from Wednesday 23rd to Saturday 25th sees a mix of clean but smaller surf, with some glassy mornings and offshore winds, but the energy drops off. There’s nothing that matches the big Tuesday/Wednesday window.
The Takeaway: If you’re an expert, the best on offer is Tuesday 21st July when the 12ft S swell hits with clean offshores. For everyone else, Sunday 19th July or Monday 20th July are your best bets for clean, fun-sized waves. The rest of the time is a slog.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 12°C on Mon morning, min 4°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fri 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | S 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 18 | S 21 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
194 | 101 | 112 | 486 | 376 | 339 | 247 | 141 | 61 | 131 | 82 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 103 | 158 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | glassy | off | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | on |
High Tide | 1:02AM1.22m | 1:32PM1.34m | 1:57AM1.25m | 2:28PM1.41m | 2:54AM1.27m | 3:26PM1.46m | 3:51AM1.29m | 4:24PM1.49m | 4:49AM1.30m | 5:22PM1.50m | 5:47AM1.30m | 6:20PM1.48m | 6:46AM1.30m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:53PM0.12m | 7:12AM0.08m | 7:51PM0.09m | 8:06AM0.05m | 8:50PM0.05m | 9:04AM0.01m | 9:49PM0.03m | 10:02AM-0.02m | 10:49PM0.00m | 11:02AM-0.04m | 11:48PM-0.01m | 12:01PM-0.05m | 00:47AM-0.01m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | |
5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | 5:09 | |
mm | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Temp °C | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
Feels °C | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | S 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 9 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 5 | ESE 16 | SSW 13 |
106 | 83 | 52 | 486 | 376 | 339 | 247 | 141 | 47 | 131 | 82 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 44 | 44 | 10 | 103 | 93 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 14 | ESE 10 | S 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SSW 12 | SE 9 | E 8 | SW 12 | S 12 | E 13 | E 12 | SW 19 | E 12 | ESE 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 15 |
56 | 33 | 81 | 19 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 61 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 24 | 45 | 42 | 158 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | — | ESE 10 | — | — | SSW 15 | ESE 10 | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 18 | S 21 | E 12 | SSW 15 | NW 7 | ESE 15 | SSE 5 | SSW 4 |
123 | 45 | 112 | — | 18 | — | — | 21 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 2 | 21 | 4 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 4 | SSW 4 | — | NW 4 | — |
194 | 101 | 57 | 29 | — | — | — | 1 | 42 | 84 | 94 | 106 | 94 | 129 | 178 | 96 | 16 | 5 | — | 14 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 112 | 64 | 106 | 91 | 64 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 34 | 23 | 9 | 82 | 91 |
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.











