Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m Rusty, and I’m looking at what we’ve got on the cards for Lake Ferry.

Honestly, the next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag, and for a while there it’s looking pretty grim. The first proper surf worth talking about doesn’t show up until Monday the 31st of August, and even then it’s a tricky one. Before that, from Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th, the swell is small—under about 3 feet mostly—and the winds are cross-off, which keeps the surface clean but the wave quality is rated as ordinary to poor. The combined wave energy is weak to low moderate. Not worth your time unless you’re desperate for a paddle.

Now, Monday the 31st of August is where things get interesting. The swell jumps up to about 12 feet from the SSW with a period of 10 seconds, and the energy is huge—5021 (very strong). The wind is glassy in the morning, which is a massive positive. But here’s the rub: that 12 feet is a lot of water for a sandbar setup. It’s going to be too big for beginners, and even for experienced surfers this is going to be a handful. The swell direction (SSW) isn’t the optimum (S), but with that much energy and glassy conditions, it might still produce some heavy, powerful waves. The period (10s) is moderate, so it won’t be a long-period groundswell, just raw power. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have some company if the conditions are clean.

After that, it goes south again. Tuesday the 1st of September sees the swell hitting about 16 feet from the SSW with onshore winds. That’s a recipe for a washing machine—way too big, blown out, and dangerous. The energy readings are off the charts, but the wind is directly onshore. That is not surfable for anyone.

The following days are mostly poor, with a lot of cross-off winds but small, weak swell. The energy drops back into the hundreds. There’s a small window on Wednesday the 3rd of September with about 5 feet from the S, but again the wind is fresh and cross-off so it’s marginal, not a standout.

Looking further out, Thursday the 11th of September has a monster swell of about 20 feet from the SSW predicted, but with rain and cross-onshore winds. Again, too big for this break and messy.

Honestly, the only real standout in this whole outlook is the Monday 31st August morning at Lake Ferry (sandbar). That 12 feet SSW swell with glassy wind is a proper heavy-water session for the experienced crew. It’s dangerous, but for those who can handle it, it could be a wild, memorable ride. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big. Be patient, or save your energy for another week.

Rusty.

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