Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s break it down day by day.

The start of the period is pretty flat and uninspiring. We’re looking at a few days of small, weak surf that’s not really worth your time. The first real pulse of energy shows up on Friday, the 14th of August, but it’s a bit of a tease. The morning brings a clean 4ft swell from the east (moderate energy at 237), but it dies off hard by the afternoon. That’s your first real window, and it’s not a bad one for a quick session if you can get out there.

After that, the ocean gets a bit rowdy and messy. The weekend and the start of the following week see a big jump in size, but it’s accompanied by strong onshore winds and rain. We’re talking 5ft up to a massive 16ft of wind-blown chaos. The energy readings are huge (over 5000 at one point), but the quality is just not there. The swell direction is all over the place and the period is short, so it’s going to be a washing machine out there. For the average surfer, this is a stay-on-the-beach kind of stretch. With that much wind and chop, it honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The real standout, and I mean the one to circle on the calendar, is Wednesday the 19th of August. After the storm passes, the wind swings offshore and the ocean cleans right up. The morning has a solid 7ft from the south, and the afternoon is even better with a 5ft south-southwest groundswell with a long 13-second period. The energy is strong (950), and the conditions are described as "very good". This is going to be proper, powerful surf. Lake Ferry (South Wairarapa) is a sandbar, so that long period will make it a bit straight, but with that light cross-offshore wind, it's going to be the pick of the fortnight by a long shot.

The rest of the week settles down. Thursday and Friday are back to smaller, cleaner surf in the 3ft range. The glassy mornings on the 20th and 21st will be perfect for a longboard or a funboard. Nice and user-friendly.

The final weekend and into the next week, things get small and pretty ordinary again. The swell drops right off, and we're just looking at knee-to-waist high leftovers. The 24th of August has a promising long-period swell (17 seconds) but it's tiny at 2ft. It'll be a specialized session for the log riders, but nothing for the rest of us.

So, to sum it up: get out on the morning of the 14th if you're keen for a wave, but the real winner is the 19th. That’s your day. The second week is looking pretty quiet, so make the most of that Wednesday.

Rusty out.

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