Lakes Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna lie to ya, the next two and a bit weeks are a real mixed bag for Lakes Beach. We’ve got a few moments where it’ll be worth paddling out, but don’t go booking days off work just yet. There’s a fair gap of flat or ordinary junk to wade through, especially early on, before we get a couple of tidy windows.

The first real chance to get wet doesn’t roll around until Friday the 4th of September. Thursday the 3rd finishes with a tiny 2ft southerly swell and glassy conditions in the afternoon, but it’s barely worth a splash. Then Friday morning, the southerly groundswell bumps up to a clean 4ft with a period of 11 seconds, and the wind is dead calm—totally glass. Combined wave energy is sitting at 301 (moderate), and with offshore being WSW, that’s a clean look. Crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get in early. This is the genuine standout of the first week. The water temp is 65°, which is about average for this time of year, so a steamer won’t hurt.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th see a bit more size—Sunday morning hits 5ft from the south (12-second period, 581 combined energy, moderate-strong)—but the wind is cross or cross-on, so it’s messy. Don’t get your hopes up.

Now, for the second week, things get interesting but tricky. Tuesday the 8th shows a pulse of short-period NE swell at 5ft (7 seconds, 338 energy), but it’s cross-on and short period, so it’ll be crumbly and weak. No good.

The big news is a solid southerly groundswell arriving around Thursday the 10th of September. However, it’s way too big for this spot. By Thursday morning, we’re looking at 12ft from the south (11-second period, 3302 combined energy—strong) and strong offshore SSW winds, which would normally be a dream. But the wave comment says it’s too big for this break, and I’ve gotta agree—experts only, if anyone’s silly enough. Friday the 11th gets even more juiced up with a 16ft southerly groundswell (13-second period, 16220 combined energy—very strong), but same story: too much for Lakes Beach.

The sweet spot finally comes on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th. Saturday morning, the swell drops to a clean 6ft from the SSE (9-second period, 597 combined energy, moderate-strong) with light cross-off SSW winds at 10 km/h. This is the best on offer for the whole 16-day window. Expect very good surf conditions. Sunday morning keeps the run going with a 4ft SE swell (10-second period, 501 combined energy, moderate) and light cross-off S winds—clean again. If you can only get one session, Saturday morning the 12th is the pick. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th drop off again with onshore junk, so don’t stretch it.

After that, Wednesday the 16th is tiny and weak—3ft from the ENE with a 6-second period (99 combined energy, weak) and messy cross-off wind. A kite surfer might make something of the bigger, windier days earlier in the week, but for paddle surfing, we’ve got two real windows: Friday the 4th morning and Saturday/Sunday the 12th/13th morning. Don’t bother with the rest.

Stay wet.
- Rusty

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