Surf Forecasts:
Lakes Beach surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with 1,406 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lakes Beach in the next 16 days are 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days.
Right, let’s have a look at the Lakes Beach situation. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next few days are pretty flat and messy. That tiny little S swell we’ve got now is just a dribble, and the wind is cross-off or cross-shore, so it’s not doing us any favours. It’s a quiet start, no real surf on offer until Wednesday the 15th.
Wednesday the 15th is the standout. It’s a big one, but it’s a heavy one. We’re looking at a solid 8ft S swell coming in, with a period of 10 seconds and a big combined energy of (2297). That’s a lot of water moving. The wind is a moderate cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but this is a serious wave. For an exposed sandbar, that’s a beast. It’s only for advanced surfers, and honestly, it’s gonna be too big for anyone who isn’t on their game. The water temp is about average for the time of year. A bit of a classic Lake’s dump, but only for the brave.
Thursday the 16th is still chunky, dropping from 6ft to 6ft, but the wind is a fresh cross-off and the period drops to 8 seconds. The energy is still moderate (449-467), but the conditions are rated as poor. It’s gonna be a messy, lumpy one. Not worth the effort.
Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are a big drop. We’re down to 3ft and 2ft, with a bit of wind. The conditions are ordinary, just surfable. It’s that low-energy period, not much to write home about.
Then we hit a bit of a lull for a few days, with small, onshore wind slop. Not until Monday the 20th do we see a glimmer. The morning of the 20th brings a 5ft ENE swell, period 10 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze. The combined energy is moderate (415). This is looking clean and surfable, a proper little morning session.
Tuesday the 21st is also a good call. The morning is clean with a 4ft ENE swell, light cross-off wind, and the energy is still decent (345). The afternoon stays clean too, with a 4ft ENE swell. A nice little run of cleaner waves.
The rest of the week from the 22nd onwards is small and inconsistent again. The morning of the 24th has a bit of a clean 3ft ENE swell, but nothing special. The 26th afternoon has a clean 3ft E swell with a 12 second period, but the energy is low (209). It’s not a write-off, but it’s not a call-to-arms either.
So, best bet: Wednesday the 15th for the big, heavy, expert-only waves. After that, the mornings of the 20th and 21st are your best chance for a clean, fun, intermediate-friendly session. The rest is a bit of a gamble.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun night, light winds from the SW by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Thu morning, light winds from the SSE by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sun 19 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | S 7 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 13 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 6 | S 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 22 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 1353 | 1271 | 317 | 432 | 447 | 261 | 88 | 48 | 78 | 92 | 110 | 138 | 230 | 238 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 7:08AM1.11m | 7:13PM1.82m | 8:03AM1.14m | 8:04PM1.86m | 8:55AM1.18m | 8:54PM1.85m | 9:44AM1.21m | 9:42PM1.79m | 10:32AM1.23m | 10:29PM1.67m | 11:20AM1.25m | 11:15PM1.51m | 12:09PM1.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:13AM0.06m | 12:36PM0.26m | 2:06AM-0.02m | 1:30PM0.24m | 2:56AM-0.06m | 2:23PM0.23m | 3:43AM-0.06m | 3:15PM0.24m | 4:28AM-0.02m | 4:07PM0.28m | 5:10AM0.04m | 5:01PM0.35m | 5:51AM0.13m | 5:58PM0.42m | |||||||
 |  | | | |  | | | | | |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | |
 | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — |
 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 5 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | S 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 11 | S 7 | S 13 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 8 | S 15 | S 13 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 6 | S 8 | E 8 | E 8 | S 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 22 | 24 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 13 | 22 | 944 | 974 | 317 | 17 | 14 | 261 | 88 | 48 | 78 | 89 | 110 | 37 | 230 | 238 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SE 8 | S 11 | S 7 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 12 | ESE 5 | E 5 | E 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 18 | S 9 | S 16 |
| kJ | 21 | 10 | 25 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 27 | 21 | 14 | 72 | 92 | 65 | 25 | 24 | 83 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | S 20 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | S 12 | S 9 | S 11 | S 21 | S 19 | SE 18 | S 17 | S 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 8 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 26 | 13 | 36 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 53 | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | WNW 4 | WNW 3 | — | SSW 5 | S 10 | S 11 | — | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 18 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 7 | — | 19 | 1353 | 1271 | — | 432 | 447 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | 138 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 149 | 9 | 7 | 457 | 607 | 379 | 65 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 38 | 5 |
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.
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