Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here.

First up, we’ve got Lake Ferry. This spot is a sandbar setup, and the 16-day window is a real mixed bag. For a stretch, there’s next to nothing worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of action comes late in the piece.

The opening days are grim. We’re looking at small, weak surf with strong cross-offshore winds in the 15 to 25 mph range, making any tiny waves a battle. The swell energy is low to moderate, with the highest early reading hitting 579 on the Thursday morning, but the wind just ruins it. It’s not until we get towards the end of the first week that things start to look interesting, but not in a good way. On the morning of Sunday the 7th, a big SSW swell rolls in at 13 ft with a 9-second period, and a combined energy of 2303. The wind is onshore from the SSW, and the forecast says it’s too big for this break. That’s a pass for paddle surfing; it’s one for the kite crew if you’re into it. The afternoon is similar at 12 ft with 2285 energy.

The next genuine standout window is a week out, on Thursday the 11th. The morning is glassy, with a clean 13 ft SSW swell, period of 9 seconds, and a combined energy of 2560. The wind is light from the NNE. Again, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. The afternoon session drops to 12 ft, still too big, but the wind shifts to a light cross-offshore from the NW.

Finally, a real highlight for the skilled surfer emerges on Saturday the 12th. The morning session is the one to aim for: glassy conditions with a light ESE breeze, a solid 6 ft SSW swell at 9 seconds, and a combined energy of 556. The forecast expects very good surf. This is your best bet in the whole window. The afternoon is smaller at 5 ft, with a light cross-shore SE wind, but the conditions are more marginal.

After that, it fades. We get a couple of OK sessions on Tuesday the 15th with clean 6 ft (morning) and 6 ft (afternoon) SSW swells, but the wind picks up. The very end of the forecast sees some long-period, weak swell on Wednesday the 16th (17 seconds) and Thursday the 17th (14 seconds), but it’s small and the wind is up again.

The water temperature is sitting at 54°, which is about average for the time of year here at Lake Ferry. The real takeaway is: the best surf is too big for the break, and when it is the right size, it’s often blown out or on the smaller side. If you’re an expert with a big-wave gun and you can handle a heavy shorebreak, the 11th is your day. For the rest of us, the glassy Saturday the 12th morning is the pick of the crop.

That’s the story. Keep your eyes on the ocean, not the forecast.

Rusty.

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