Lake Ferry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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