Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this outlook for Lake Ferry is a real mixed bag. We’ve got some serious size coming through, but the wind and conditions are going to be a battle for most of the 16 days. There’s a solid window of good, clean surf early on, but after that, it gets pretty ugly for a long stretch, before a late pulse of huge swell shows up. Don’t go expecting a classic run; we’ve got to pick our moments.

The first real highlight is Monday morning, July 20th. The swell is pumping at 8 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds – that’s pure groundswell energy. The combined energy is a thumping 3580 (moderate-strong), and the wind is glassy, dead calm. That’s a perfect recipe for clean, lined-up waves at Lake Ferry, but at that size and with that long period, this is definitely advanced territory. The water is sitting at 52°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget a good hood.

We’ve got a few other decent sessions. Tuesday morning, July 21st, brings 7 ft SSW swell with a 14-second period, clean offshore wind from the NNE, and the energy is 1622 (moderate). It’s a good option for the experienced crew. Tuesday afternoon stays clean with a 6 ft SSW swell. Then Wednesday morning, July 22nd, sees a drop to 4 ft S swell with glassy conditions, but it’s small and the energy is only 341 (weak). It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

After that, we hit a rough patch. From Thursday, July 23rd, right through to Wednesday, July 30th, the conditions are pretty poor. Winds are strong, mostly cross-off or onshore, and the swell is either too small or too messy. There’s a big spike on Sunday, July 26th, with 7 ft SSW swell, but it’s blown out by a fresh cross-shore wind. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, the real standout is Thursday, July 30th. This is a beast. The swell is 16 ft from the SSW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 7296 on the morning and 7882 in the afternoon (very strong). That is a huge, powerful swell. The winds are light, but the file warns that this is too big for this break. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, you’ll need to be on your A-game. The long period (12s) at this size is going to be a freight train.

Finally, Friday, July 31st, offers a clean-up set with 8 ft S swell, a 12-second period, and light offshore winds from the NNE. The energy is 2048 (moderate-strong), and conditions are clean. This is another solid option for experienced surfers, but it’s a long way out – so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Overall, if you’re a confident surfer, the Monday morning glass-off is your best bet. The 30th of July is a proper big-wave day, but only for the brave. The rest of the period is mostly a write-off with strong winds. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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