
Surf Forecasts:
Lakes Beach surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, NE swell with 1,537 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lakes Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lakes Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next week and a bit is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf ahead, with the first real glimmer of hope not landing until Thursday the 13th, and even that one’s got question marks. For the most part, we’re looking at small, weak swell and a lot of cross-shore wind. There’s a solid run of days from the 10th to the 12th where the swell is just gutless – nothing over 3ft and energy readings in the low 100s, which is weak. It’s a real flat spell, so don’t be surprised if the lineup is empty for a while. Keep the hope, though, because this run of poor conditions tends not to last forever.
Now, Thursday the 13th is where things start to get interesting, and it’s the pick of the first week. We’ve got a pulse of south swell pushing in, with the morning already showing 6ft at 8 seconds and a moderate energy reading of 554. But the real standout is the afternoon: the swell jumps to 7ft at 10 seconds, with energy hitting 893. That’s a moderate-to-strong push. The wind is light from the SSE, so it’s not perfect glass, but it’s clean enough. The catch? This break is a sandbar setup at Lakes Beach (Lakes-Beach), and 7ft is getting big for it. The forecast actually says it’s too big for the break, so while the energy is there, it might be a bit of a handful. Still, if you’re an advanced surfer, this is the best chance in the first week to get something with a bit of grunt.
Friday the 14th is a fallback, but it’s a big step down. The morning is glassy with a light WSW breeze, and the swell is 5ft from the south at 8 seconds, but the energy is only 336, which is moderate at best. The period is short, so it’s going to be a bit crumbly. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. The rest of that weekend just turns to mush with onshore winds and chop.
Now, the long-range stuff. The second week holds the real promise, and Thursday the 20th is the one to circle. It starts with a *completely* glassy morning, a light SSW breeze, and a 6ft south-east swell at 8 seconds. The energy is 499, which is solidly moderate. That’s clean, lined-up surf on the sandbar. It’s a proper standout. The afternoon picks up to 7ft, but the wind swings onshore and it gets too big again, so get out there early.
But the true gem of the whole window is Saturday the 22nd. The morning is glassy with 6ft of east swell at 10 seconds, and the energy is a strong 755. That’s a clean, powerful wave. The afternoon bumps it up to 7ft with energy at 946, but the wind turns cross-onshore, so the morning is the time to go. This is the pick of the whole 16 days.
The last day, Monday the 24th, is also excellent. It’s 5ft from the east with a long 12-second period, energy at 1123, and it’s glassy. That’s a high-quality groundswell, ideal for the sandbar. Just remember, long-period swell like this can break a bit straight at a beach break, but the conditions are so clean it should still be epic.
One more thing on the water temps. The first break we mentioned, Lakes Beach, has water temps that are about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there. A solid 1-2 degree anomaly is notable, but we’re not seeing that in this window.
So, to sum it up: don’t get wet until Thursday the 13th, and even then, be careful. The middle of next week is the real deal. Get that Thursday the 20th morning and Saturday the 22nd morning booked in. That’s where the magic is.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Sun morning, strong winds from the NW by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
61 | 141 | 154 | 289 | 749 | 342 | 133 | 73 | 71 | 187 | 59 | 68 | 51 | 517 | 876 | 625 | 298 | 334 | 235 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:56AM1.00m | 5:11PM1.61m | 6:03AM1.06m | 6:09PM1.71m | 6:59AM1.13m | 7:02PM1.78m | 7:49AM1.20m | 7:50PM1.80m | 8:34AM1.27m | 8:36PM1.77m | 9:17AM1.32m | 9:19PM1.68m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:06PM0.28m | 10:26AM0.38m | 00:08AM0.16m | 11:31AM0.33m | 1:02AM0.07m | 12:29PM0.27m | 1:50AM-0.00m | 1:22PM0.22m | 2:33AM-0.03m | 2:12PM0.19m | 3:13AM-0.02m | 3:01PM0.20m | 3:50AM0.03m | ||||||
— | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 |
61 | 141 | 154 | 1 | 749 | 342 | 133 | 73 | 71 | 187 | 59 | 68 | 51 | 29 | 17 | 625 | 298 | 334 | 235 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 | E 14 | S 13 | S 13 | E 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 9 | — | — | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
15 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 61 | 56 | 35 | 25 | — | — | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 13 | — | — | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | — | SSW 11 | — | S 13 | S 20 | — | — | ENE 10 | S 18 | S 19 |
15 | 7 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 23 | — | 3 | 8 | — | — | 19 | 6 | 30 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | NE 4 | — | ENE 6 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 3 | WNW 4 | NNW 3 | NW 4 | SW 5 | S 8 | S 10 | — | — | — | — |
2 | 3 | — | 289 | 50 | 65 | 54 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 23 | 84 | 517 | 876 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 336 | 38 | 116 | 38 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 131 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lakes Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lakes Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lakes Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lakes Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Lakes Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Lakes Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Lakes Beach is 11 km (7 miles) from the city of Catherine Hill Bay. If you plan a holiday in Newcastle, look for hotels and other accommodation in Catherine Hill Bay. Catherine Hill Bay has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











