
Surf Forecasts:
Lake Ferry surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, S swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, SSW swell with 6,503 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Aug 05) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lake Ferry in the next 16 days are 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 16ft (5.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lake Ferry over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about your local waves for the next couple of weeks. Things start off pretty wild and messy, so we’ll have to be patient.
The first real shot at a surf comes hot and heavy on Tuesday the 4th of August. Lake Ferry is absolutely hammered by a solid 18-foot SSW swell, with a combined wave energy of 7539 – that’s a serious amount of power, but it’s blowing a strong 35 km/h onshore from the SSW. That’s a recipe for poor, blown-out conditions. Only for the hardcore if you’re game, but honestly, it’s a mess.
Wednesday the 5th is still way too big, with a 13-foot S swell and onshore winds. By Wednesday afternoon, the swell drops to 10 feet from the S, wind eases to 15 km/h onshore, and the file says wind and tide are favorable, but that swell is still too big for this sandbar break. Only for the experts, and it’s a wall of water.
Thursday the 6th is much smaller with a 6-foot S swell, but we’ve got cross-onshore winds, so it’s a marginal day. Friday the 7th brings a bit more hope: a 5-foot S groundswell with a long 15-second period, and clean cross-offshore winds from the NNW. The combined wave energy is moderate at 1137, but the long period will make the waves lumpy at a sandbar. It’s a small, clean option but nothing to write home about.
Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th stay small and uninspiring – 3-foot to 4-foot S swells, with Sunday afternoon offering glassy conditions on a tiny 3-foot S swell. The combined wave energy is weak (273 to 308). It’s clean but very small.
Then we hit a gap from Monday the 10th through to Saturday the 15th, with almost nothing worth paddling out for. Small, short-period swells (under 3 feet most days), onshore or cross winds, and poor conditions. That’s a long dry spell of about six days.
Things finally perk up on Sunday the 16th of August. Lake Ferry cleans up with a tiny but very long-period 2-foot SSW swell – 18-second period, clean cross-offshore winds, and combined energy of 331. The water’s a bit colder than average at 51°F for this break, about 2°F cooler than usual. It’s super clean for anyone on a longboard or a mal. The standouts here are Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon, with glassy conditions on Monday the 17th as well – another 2-foot SSW groundswell with 14-second period and no wind. Perfect glass. The crowd factor at Lake Ferry is “sometimes,” so you might have company on these clean little waves.
After that, Tuesday the 18th sees another spike: a 7-foot SSE swell, but with a gusty 35 km/h cross-offshore wind, it’s messy and tough. Wednesday the 19th is similar – onshore winds and choppy.
Best on offer: the glassy, clean conditions on Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th. The waves are tiny but the quality is as good as it gets – slide out on a log and enjoy the solitude.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 11°C on Fri morning, min 4°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the W by Thu morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Sat night, fresh winds from the NW by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
7260 | 4359 | 2713 | 1394 | 810 | 443 | 240 | 984 | 1172 | 649 | 485 | 387 | 244 | 158 | 81 | 215 | 428 | 688 | 439 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | on |
High Tide | 9:18PM1.18m | 9:43AM1.16m | 10:07PM1.18m | 10:34AM1.22m | 10:58PM1.19m | 11:26AM1.27m | 11:51PM1.21m | 12:20PM1.33m | 00:45AM1.23m | 1:16PM1.38m | 1:40AM1.25m | 2:12PM1.42m | 2:36AM1.27m | ||||||
Low Tide | 3:36AM0.18m | 3:59PM0.17m | 4:23AM0.15m | 4:51PM0.15m | 5:11AM0.13m | 5:45PM0.12m | 6:01AM0.10m | 6:40PM0.10m | 6:54AM0.06m | 7:36PM0.07m | 7:49AM0.03m | 8:33PM0.05m | |||||||
— | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | |
mm | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | -3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 19 | SE 18 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 8 | NW 9 | SSW 15 | S 9 |
— | 7 | 12 | 1394 | 810 | 443 | 240 | 984 | 1172 | 649 | 485 | 387 | 244 | 158 | 64 | 215 | 3 | 21 | 439 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 18 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 11 | SSE 12 | S 10 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 18 | SSE 13 | S 13 | SSE 11 | SSW 16 | SE 14 | SE 12 |
— | — | 12 | 41 | 35 | 110 | 231 | 192 | 52 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 58 | 81 | 43 | 25 | 8 | 23 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 14 | S 13 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | ENE 8 | SE 14 | SSW 14 |
— | — | — | 93 | 83 | 53 | 89 | 59 | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 49 | 21 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 12 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 4 | NNW 4 | N 4 | NW 6 | WNW 4 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | — |
7260 | 4359 | 2713 | — | — | — | 1 | 29 | 192 | 126 | 83 | 29 | 11 | 31 | 295 | 12 | 428 | 688 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 224 | 112 | 106 | 84 | 25 | 23 | 9 | 9 | 34 | 82 | 82 | 27 | 9 | 9 | 91 | 31 | 42 | 42 | 82 |
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.











