Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Lake Ferry.

It’s a slow burner, but we’ve got a couple of good windows. The first real swell shows up on the morning of Friday, August 7th. We’re looking at a 6ft south swell with a very long period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is a solid 1570 (moderate to strong), and with a light offshore wind from the north, it’ll be clean. This is a standout for experienced surfers only, as it’s well over the 5ft mark. The water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 52°, sitting just over a degree below average. The long period can make beach breaks a bit straight, but Lake Ferry is a sandbar, so keep an eye on the banks.

Friday afternoon is a bust – the wind swings to the NNW at 25 km/h, making it cross-off and messy, and the swell drops to 7ft, but the quality is shot.

Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are a wash. The swell is fading and the wind is either cross-off or onshore, so no good. Monday the 10th is also poor with onshore winds and a short-period swell.

Now, Tuesday the 11th of August morning is a real sleeper. The swell is a modest 4ft from the SSE with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is 319 (moderate). The real star is the wind: glassy, absolutely flat calm from the east at just 5 km/h. That’s as good as it gets for clean conditions. It’s not the biggest, but for smooth, perfect faces, this is the pick of the early week. Crowds are possible here, so paddle out early.

After Tuesday, the energy drops off hard. Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th of August offer tiny, weak swells with combined energy barely hitting 30-40 (weak). Not worth the effort.

The 16th of August, a Sunday, is a beast. We’ve got a 13ft south-southwest swell with an 11-second period and combined energy of 3558 (very strong), but the guidance says it’s too big for this break. With light winds, it’s only for the absolute pros, and even then, it’s a dangerous call. The same goes for the 19th and 20th, where we see another 13ft pulse with strong onshore winds – that’s a kite-surfing setup, not a paddle one.

The very end of the window, on Friday the 21st of August, gives us another chance. A 8ft south swell with an 11-second period and combined energy of 1212 (strong) pairs up with glassy, calm conditions in the morning. That’s excellent for experienced surfers, and it’ll be a clean, powerful day. The afternoon is still good with a lighter 7ft and cross-off wind.

So, the best on offer is the Friday morning, August 7th, for the big, clean groundswell, and the Tuesday morning, August 11th, for the glassy, fun-sized waves. The very end of the run, August 21st, is also a standout for a solid, clean session. The rest of the 16 days are mostly poor or too big, with a few days of nothing at all.

Rusty.

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