
Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 4,273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 21st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu.
Alright, straight up, this is a slow one for Lake Ferry. We’ve got a 16-day window, but the first real standout doesn’t show up until Saturday the 19th of September. Before that, it’s a whole lot of nothing or very ordinary conditions. The good news is, there is a clean window, but you gotta be patient.
The water temp is sitting at 54°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first proper call to get excited about is on Saturday morning the 19th. We’ve got a 3ft SSW swell rolling in with a nice 14-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy – it'll have some push. The wind is light offshore from the north at 6 mph, so it’s going to be clean. The combined energy is solid at 433 (moderate wave energy). This is the pick of the early run.
Then we get a big spike over the weekend and into Monday the 21st of September. Sunday the 20th sees the swell jump to 8ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon from the SSW, but the period drops to 7-9 seconds and the winds go onshore or cross-onshore with that SE breeze. The energy readings are high (708 and 1163 – moderate to strong), but the wind is going to mess it up. It’s gonna be a washing machine.
Now, Monday morning the 21st is the standout of the whole outlook. We’ve got 8ft of SSW swell at 10 seconds, with a clean NNW wind at 9 mph. The combined energy is a meaty 1221 (strong wave energy). This is a powerful, clean swell. However, at 8ft, this is getting into the territory where beginners should sit it out – it’s more for the experienced crew. Lake Ferry is a sandbar setup, and with that long-period groundswell (14 seconds was the predominant period) it can get a bit straight, but the size and clean conditions make it a ripper.
After that, the swell backs off and the wind goes to shit from the 22nd onwards. There’s a few glassy little waist-high days at the end of the window. Saturday morning the 26th of September offers a clean 2ft glassy wave, which is perfect for a longboard or a foiler. Sunday the 27th has similar small, clean options in the morning and afternoon with glassy conditions.
Honestly, the two real standouts are Saturday the 19th for the clean 3ft groundswell and Monday the 21st for the bigger, powerful clean surf. Get on those if you can. The rest is a lot of waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Wed morning, calm by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
225 | 74 | 33 | 34 | 20 | 18 | 40 | 45 | 156 | 85 | 91 | 121 | 394 | 285 | 253 | 595 | 1097 | 4273 | 1198 | 502 | 206 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 8:14PM1.20m | 8:40AM1.24m | 9:06PM1.17m | 9:30AM1.24m | 9:55PM1.14m | 10:19AM1.23m | 10:43PM1.12m | 11:05AM1.21m | 11:28PM1.10m | 11:50AM1.20m | 00:12AM1.09m | 12:34PM1.19m | 00:54AM1.08m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:10PM0.13m | 2:30AM0.15m | 3:02PM0.15m | 3:18AM0.18m | 3:52PM0.18m | 4:05AM0.20m | 4:39PM0.21m | 4:50AM0.23m | 5:24PM0.23m | 5:33AM0.24m | 6:08PM0.24m | 6:15AM0.24m | 6:51PM0.25m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 6 | SE 13 | S 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 |
225 | 62 | 33 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 40 | 45 | 156 | 40 | 84 | 116 | 394 | 285 | 253 | 93 | 47 | 3626 | 1198 | 502 | 206 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 10 | SE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SE 12 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 13 |
42 | 74 | 17 | 34 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 41 | 48 | 51 | 121 | 37 | 33 | 21 | 20 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 9 | SE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | E 10 | NE 9 | SW 18 | WNW 7 | E 10 | — | E 10 | SE 15 | SE 10 |
44 | 39 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 91 | 47 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 8 | — | 18 | 8 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 5 | — | SSW 6 | — | NW 4 | WNW 6 | NW 4 | NW 5 | SSW 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | NW 3 | NW 5 | NW 4 |
10 | 18 | 66 | 334 | 339 | 175 | 85 | 53 | — | 85 | — | 34 | 3 | 49 | 45 | 595 | 1097 | 4273 | 4 | 41 | 32 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 9 | 27 | 82 | 82 | 34 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 9 | 27 | 9 | 9 | 31 | 9 | 64 | 42 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
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.










