Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Lake Ferry. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, it’s a slow start. We’re looking at a lake setup here, so don’t expect ocean power, but when it lines up, it can be a fun little sandbar.

For the first few days, from Thursday the 30th of July right through the weekend, it’s pretty grim. We’ve got fresh breezes in the 19 mph to 22 mph range, creating cross-off and cross-shore chop that’s just ruining the surface. The waves are small, around 1.0 ft to 2 ft, with weak combined energy (only 168 down to 43), so there’s nothing to get excited about. You’re better off staying home.

Then we hit Saturday the 1st of August, and it gets wild. The swell jumps suddenly to 16 ft from the SSW, with a massive combined energy of 5995. But the wind is straight onshore and strong, so it’s going to be a total mess. This is a sandbar, so with that much swell and onshore wind, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. Forget it.

Sunday the 2nd of August is where things start to turn. The morning is still a bit dicey with onshore wind and a 6 ft S swell (1341 energy), but the afternoon cleans right up. We get a glassy, slight air from the WNW, dropping to 3 mph, and the swell drops to 5 ft from the SSE. That’s the first real window. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no shock to the system. The break is fairly consistent, but crowds are possible at this spot, so keep an eye out.

The standout window, and I mean the real standout, is Wednesday the 5th of August. The morning is still a bit lumpy with a 10 ft S swell, but the afternoon goes glassy. We get 8 ft of S swell at a 12-second period, delivering 2758 of combined energy. That’s a proper groundswell, and the glassy conditions will make it clean as a whistle. This is for experienced surfers only, as the size is over 8 ft, but for those who can handle it, this is the best session on offer. The long period (12 seconds) means longer lulls between sets, making the paddle out easier, and the S direction is right on the optimum for this spot.

Thursday the 6th of August is another good one. The morning is clean with a 4 ft SSE swell, light NE wind, and 842 energy. The afternoon goes glassy with the same swell size. It’s a solid, fun day, but not as big as Wednesday.

Friday the 7th of August brings another 8 ft S swell in the morning with clean, cross-off wind. That’s solid for experienced surfers again. The afternoon spikes to 10 ft, but with a short, weak 8-second period, it’s likely to be a bit crumbly and messy, so stick to the morning.

Saturday the 8th of August starts off glassy with 8 ft from the SSE, but the afternoon gets ruined by a moderate cross-onshore breeze and rain, so it’s a one-session morning.

After that, from Sunday the 9th through to the 14th, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. The wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, the swell drops to around 5 ft down to 1 ft, and the energy fades into the double digits. There’s a quick moment on Thursday the 13th of August with a clean, 2 ft E swell, but it’s too small to really get going.

So to wrap it up: the best of the bunch is Wednesday the 5th of August afternoon. Glassy, 8 ft S groundswell, and all the energy you need. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s your day. The second pick is Sunday the 2nd of August afternoon, for a smaller, cleaner session. All other days are either too big and messy or too small to matter.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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