
Surf Forecasts:
Lakes Beach surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 11s period, E swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, E swell with 1,450 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with S 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s 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 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about Lakes Beach.
Right off the bat, honest truth – this stretch is an advanced-only sandbar set-up, and it’s built for a specific swell direction: SE. The water’s sitting right on 65°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.
The first week is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a real standout if you’re patient. Friday the 17th kicks off with small, clean 3ft swell from the south, with a light cross-off breeze, but the energy is weak (188) and the wave quality is just ordinary. Saturday and Sunday get bigger, with a jump up to 5ft and 5ft on Saturday, but the wind is cross and messy, and by Sunday morning we’re looking at 8ft – that’s already too big for this spot, especially with a cross-onshore wind making it choppy. The energy ramps up to 1445 on Sunday morning, but the conditions are poor.
Now, Monday the 20th morning is the one. We’ve got a 6ft ENE swell, glassy conditions – dead calm, zero wind – and the energy is solid (782). That’s a clean, lined-up morning for the advanced crew. The swell period is 10 seconds, so it’s a decent groundswell with good shape. Come Monday afternoon, the wind swings onshore and it’s gone.
Tuesday the 21st morning sees a drop back to 5ft from the ENE with a light cross breeze, but the energy is down to 509, and it’s just marginal. The rest of the first week fades out with small, clean but weak surf.
The second week jumps back into life. Friday the 24th morning brings a 8ft south swell, clean with a cross-off breeze, and the energy is pumping at 910. But that size is getting too big for this break – it’s a beach break, and over 8ft is expert-only territory. The following Saturday the 25th morning is a better size: 3ft from the south, light offshore wind, clean, and the energy is 268. That’s a nice, manageable wave.
The real standout for the whole outlook is Monday the 20th morning. The glassy conditions on a 6ft ENE swell, with solid energy, will give you the best clean waves of the entire forecast. The crowd is listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but with that quality, it’s worth it.
Later in the window, Saturday the 1st of August afternoon shows a 4ft south swell with a moderate offshore wind, clean, and energy at 473 – that’s a solid, clean option for the tail end.
The rest of the second week is small, with a few clean glassy mornings (like the 29th and 30th), but the swell is tiny, under 3ft, and the energy is weak. It’s not a total write-off, but you’ll be hunting for scraps.
Signing off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri night, min 15°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | S 7 | E 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
72 | 84 | 110 | 170 | 266 | 1128 | 1338 | 918 | 769 | 634 | 562 | 490 | 442 | 373 | 312 | 193 | 188 | 168 | 119 | 94 | 912 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross | cross | on | cross | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 10:32AM1.23m | 10:29PM1.67m | 11:20AM1.25m | 11:15PM1.51m | 12:09PM1.27m | 00:01AM1.34m | 12:59PM1.28m | 00:51AM1.17m | 1:51PM1.29m | 1:47AM1.03m | 2:45PM1.31m | 2:53AM0.93m | 3:42PM1.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM0.28m | 5:10AM0.04m | 5:01PM0.35m | 5:51AM0.13m | 5:58PM0.42m | 6:30AM0.22m | 7:01PM0.48m | 7:10AM0.31m | 8:11PM0.53m | 7:53AM0.39m | 9:26PM0.53m | 8:42AM0.45m | 10:38PM0.50m | ||||||||
6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | E 6 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
72 | 84 | 55 | 49 | 46 | 1128 | 1338 | 918 | 769 | 634 | 562 | 490 | 442 | 373 | 312 | 193 | 188 | 168 | 119 | 94 | 71 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | S 6 | S 21 | S 21 | S 20 | S 9 | S 17 | S 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | — | — |
31 | 27 | 9 | 35 | 31 | 25 | 95 | 125 | 162 | 138 | 136 | 84 | 57 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 17 | 20 | 8 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | S 8 | — | — | S 15 | SSE 19 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
21 | 21 | — | — | 4 | 69 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | — | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | WNW 3 | SSE 10 | S 8 |
64 | — | 110 | 170 | 266 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 32 | 912 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 170 | 70 | 97 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 120 | 4 | 4 | 71 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
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.










