Lake Ferry Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.40° S 175.15° E

Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lake Ferry sea temperature is
10.9°C
1.0° 

Lake Ferry surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Lake Ferry surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with 10,361 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 7s. 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 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Thu 27th Aug)6ft (1.9m) 17s
Best Surf12PM (Mon 31st Aug)13ft (4.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 6PM (Mon 31st Aug)16ft (5.0m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. We’re lookin’ at Lake Ferry on the south coast – a sandbar set-up that's got a bit of life in it over the next couple weeks, but you’ve gotta be patient and pick your moments. The water temp’s about average for this time of year, so nothin’ wild there. Biggest issue? The wind swings around a lot, and when it’s not clean, this spot gets messy fast. Here’s the run-down.

First real chance to wet a line comes Thursday, August 27th. We’ve got a solid pulse of SSW groundswell – 7ft to 7ft with a long 16 to 17 second period. That’s a classic groundswell, and for a sandbar, that long period can sometimes make it a bit straight, but the energy is serious: combined swell energy of 2686 on Thursday morning and dropping slightly to 2237 by afternoon. Thursday afternoon, the wind goes offshore from the NE (gentle breeze), so you’re lookin’ at clean, lined-up waves for experienced surfers. This is the standout of the first week – only for those who can handle a bit of power.

Friday August 28th and Saturday 29th are write-offs – fresh to strong breeze from the north and northwest, cross-off, and surf quality drops to poor. Not worth paddlin’ out.

Sunday August 30th starts with a weak 4ft SSW swell at only 6 seconds (short period windswell), combined energy of 149 – just ordinary. By afternoon, the wind howls and the swell collapses. Nothin’ there.

Monday August 31st brings a decent push – 7ft SSW groundswell at 14 seconds, combined energy 1574. Light breeze from the NW, cross-off, so conditions are clean. Another one for experienced crew only, and the long period means you’ll want to work the sandbars for shape.

Tuesday September 1st is a big one. The morning session shows 10ft SSW groundswell (combined energy 2676) with a gentle offshore from the north – that’s clean and powerful. But at 10ft, this is only for experts, and the sandbar might get a bit unruly. Afternoon, the wind swings NW and picks up, so the morning is your window.

From Wednesday September 2nd through Thursday September 3rd, it’s back to poor – strong breeze and onshore winds kill it. Swell’s around but messy.

Now for the second week: Friday September 4th morning is the big highlight. We’ve got 8ft SSW groundswell at a very long 14 seconds, combined energy of 1993, and the wind is nearly glassy – slight air from the NNW, cross-off. That’s clean, powerful swell for experienced surfers. This one looks promising but it’s a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it. Saturday September 5th keeps the run goin’ with a smaller but glassy session – 5ft SSW (combined energy 609) with a light offshore from the NNE in the morning, and Saturday afternoon turns glassy with a southerly breeze. That afternoon session will be clean, small, and fun for a broader crowd – but still a sandbar so watch for the tide.

Sunday September 6th onwards, the swell drops right off – tiny 1ft waves and fresh to strong wind. Not much to get excited about. There’s a little pulse on Wednesday September 9th with 7ft SSW groundswell, but the fresh northwesterly winds will ruin it.

Overall, your best bets are Thursday August 27th afternoon (offshore, clean, 7ft SSW) and Monday August 31st morning (clean, 7ft SSW). For the long-range, Friday September 4th morning and Saturday September 5th afternoon are the standouts to circle on the calendar. Keep in mind, Lake Ferry can be a bit inconsistent and crowds are sometimes an issue when it’s good. But when it lines up, it’s a proper south coast wave.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the E by Wed night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NNW on Fri afternoon, light winds from the NNW by Sat night).

Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
2
1
2
0
1
4
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.5
SSW
12
1.3
SSW
11
1.2
SSW
14
1
SSW
15
1.1
SSW
15
1
SSW
14
1.5
SSW
17
2.1
SSW
17
2.2
SSW
16
1.7
SSW
13
1.2
S
12
1
S
12
0.7
S
11
0.8
S
10
0.8
S
10
0.5
S
10
1.3
SSW
6
0.6
S
5
0.5
SSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
614
387
557
456
505
362
1230
2559
2224
1042
439
290
121
136
131
48
117
21
83
Wind (km/h)
25
NW
30
NW
25
NW
15
N
15
NNW
30
NW
15
SSE
10
E
15
NE
15
NNE
30
N
40
NNW
30
NW
30
NNW
25
NNW
10
NNE
10
N
35
NW
5
NE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
2:14AM1.09m
2:39PM1.20m
2:57AM1.08m
3:23PM1.20m
3:41AM1.08m
4:07PM1.20m
4:26AM1.09m
4:53PM1.20m
5:12AM1.10m
5:39PM1.20m
6:00AM1.11m
6:26PM1.19m
Low Tide
8:18AM0.23m
8:56PM0.26m
9:02AM0.22m
9:41PM0.25m
9:47AM0.21m
10:27PM0.23m
10:35AM0.19m
11:13PM0.22m
11:23AM0.18m
00:00AM0.20m
12:14PM0.17m
00:47AM0.19m
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:56
6:54
6:52
6:50
6:50
6:48
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:52
 mm
2
1
2
Temp °C
12
15
14
12
15
14
14
9
12
13
13
13
13
14
14
9
13
14
11
Feels °C
7
9
9
8
10
9
9
7
9
9
6
6
6
8
9
6
8
7
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Lake Ferry:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest