Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for Lake Ferry and, honestly, it's a bit of a head-scratcher for the next two and a half weeks. The pattern is all over the shop. We kick off with a few days of nothing special, then there's a weird run where the swell gets way too meaty for this spot, and then we finally get a couple of windows that look half-decent. There's a big gap of poor conditions or just flat-out dangerous swell in the middle there, so patience is the name of the game.

We start off with a bit of a dud. From Saturday the 5th right through to Monday the 7th, it's all messy with fresh breezes and poor surf. Swell is small, around 2 ft to 3 ft, but the wind just ruins it. Tuesday the 8th morning looks like a tease. The swell is only 3 ft from the SSW, but the wind goes glassy – absolute perfection... for about five minutes. The combined energy is weak (235). The water temp is 55°, which is about average for the time of year, so nothing to write home about there. It's surfable, but it's not going to get the heart pumping.

Then things get interesting, but not in a good way. From the 11th of September onwards, the swell just hammers in. On Friday the 11th, we're looking at a 10 ft SSW swell with a combined energy of 3238. That's moderate energy, but it’s too big for Lake Ferry. The wind is cross-off from the NW, so it'd be clean, but only for the absolute experts. This trend continues right through until the 14th, with waves hitting 13 ft on Monday the 14th. The forecast notes say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, and I have to agree. It's a sandbar setup, and at that size, it's just a washing machine. For a week straight, it's a no-go for ordinary paddle surfing.

Now, after all that chaos, we finally get a standout. Tuesday the 15th of September is the pick of the bunch. The morning session is the real gem. There's a 7 ft S swell running, which is a solid size for the experienced crew. The wind is glassy from the ENE, with only a slight air moving. That’s a huge positive. The combined energy is strong (1032), and with a period of 11 seconds, it's a proper groundswell with some grunt. It's a little too big for beginners, but for anyone who knows what they're doing, it'll be a proper session. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off NW breeze and a 6 ft swell. Crowds are "sometimes" a problem at Lake Ferry, so getting out early on that Tuesday morning glass-off would be the smart play.

The following day, Wednesday the 16th, still has decent 6 ft swell from the S (1553 energy), but the wind swings around and gets fresh out of the NW in the morning, so the quality will drop off quickly. After that, it fizzles out again with small, ordinary surf through the 17th, before another big swell spike on the 20th of September. That's 23 ft to 26 ft from the SSW with a 17-second period and a combined energy of 61593. That's just mental. Way, way too big for this break. It's a lake, not a big wave reef.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off, the middle week is way too big, and the best bet is Tuesday the 15th. It's a short window, but that glassy 7 ft S swell is the one to circle on the calendar.

Rusty.

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