Lakes Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for our stretch of coast.

Right off the bat, I won’t sugarcoat it—this 16-day window is a tough one. We’ve got a long, quiet gap from now until the end of the first week, with only small, messy, or onshore waves on offer. The real action doesn’t fire up until the second week, and even then, it’s a mixed bag. The best bet for a proper session looks like Friday, August 14th, with a solid pulse of swell and clean conditions.

Let’s start with the early days. Saturday afternoon, August 1st, we’ve got a weak 5 ft SSE swell at 9 seconds, but it’s cross-on from the ESE and the energy is only moderate (399). The water temp is 64°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. Sunday morning, August 2nd, sees a bit more size at 5 ft SSE, but the period jumps to 12 seconds—a proper groundswell—and the energy gets a lot more interesting (915). Problem is, it’s still cross-on, so it’s not clean. Sunday afternoon goes straight to onshore junk with a 16 mph NE wind. Not worth paddling out.

The rest of that first week stays small and weak. Monday through Wednesday, August 3rd to 5th, we’re looking at knee-high dribble, with combined energy readings dropping into the double digits (44, 28, 69). Even the offshore winds on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings can’t save the tiny 1 ft to 1 ft swells. Don’t bother.

Now, Thursday morning, August 6th, shows a little spark. A 4 ft S swell, 8-second period, light offshore from the WNW, and the energy is moderate (212). It’s clean, but the period is short, so the waves will be a bit fat and lacking push. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen all week. The water temp anomaly is normal, so no surprises there.

Friday morning, August 7th, the swell builds to 6 ft S at 9 seconds, energy jumps to 490, and a light SSW cross-off breeze keeps it clean. This is a solid, surfable morning—good for intermediate to advanced surfers, as the size is getting up there. But the afternoon turns cross-on again, so get it early.

The real standout, though, is the period from August 14th. Friday morning, August 14th, we’ve got a 6 ft S swell at 9 seconds with a clean offshore W breeze at 9 mph. The combined energy is a strong 796, and the conditions are forecast to be very good. This is the pick of the entire forecast. The water temp is around 64°, so normal for the season. This is a proper, powerful, clean swell that will have some punch. It’s going to be a bit too big for beginners, but for the experienced crew, it’s go time.

Friday afternoon, August 14th, holds with 5 ft S and glassy conditions from a light SSE air. The energy is still up there at 546. Absolutely perfect afternoon window.

Saturday, August 15th, is still rideable in the morning with a 3 ft S swell, but the wind cranks up to 19 mph offshore, making it choppy and hard to handle. The energy drops too (283). Afternoon is smaller and cleaner but not exciting.

Beyond that, the last few days of the forecast fizzle out quickly into tiny, weak pulses with no real energy.

If you’ve only got one window to paddle out, make it Friday, August 14th. That’s the one. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or just plain flat. The long gap from now until then is a bummer, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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