Lakes Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.25° S 151.56° E

Lakes Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 14 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lakes Beach sea temperature is
17.8°C
0.7° 

Lakes Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Lakes Beach surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 3,077 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with ENE 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 7PM. 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 (Sep 21) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4AM (Tue 15th Sep)3ft (0.9m) 6s
Best Surf 1AM (Wed 16th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 8s
Most Powerful 7PM (Wed 16th Sep)13ft (4.0m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at the charts for Lakes Beach over the next couple of weeks. To be straight up with you, this stretch is a bit of a mixed bag, and for a good chunk of the time, it’s going to be tough to get a decent wave.

The first real chance you’ll have to get wet is early on Tuesday morning, the 15th of September. It’s not going to be anything special – just small 2ft waves from the northeast, but with a light south wind blowing offshore, it’ll be clean. The energy is pretty weak (79), so you’ll be working for every ride. Still, it’s surfable if you’re keen for a paddle.

Now, the big story here is Wednesday the 16th. The swell pumps up to 12ft from the south, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is offshore from the southwest, and the conditions are described as clean. The combined energy is massive (2208), but mate, that’s way too big for Lakes Beach. This is an exposed beach break, and at that size, it’s only for absolute experts, if anyone at all. The same goes for Thursday the 17th with 10ft to 8ft waves and strong energy (2232, 2536). It’s a spectacle, not a session for most.

We get a bit of a lull after that. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about 1° cooler than average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The standout window actually opens up on Saturday morning, the 19th of September. The swell is tiny at 2ft, but it’s a long-period 16-second groundswell from the south. The wind is glassy, absolutely dead calm, and the wave energy is moderate (279). That long period means the waves will have real shape and push, but they might be a bit straight on this beach. It’ll be clean as a whistle, and if you’ve got a log, this is your morning.

Looking ahead to Saturday the 26th and beyond, there’s not much to get excited about. The end of the forecast period, around Monday the 28th and Tuesday the 29th of September, sees another big pulse of south swell, over 8ft and up to 10ft, with very strong energy (3224, 2966). But again, it’s simply too big and onshore for Lakes Beach. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet on offer is that glassy Saturday morning, the 19th, with the clean, long-period groundswell. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too damn big. It’s a patchy outlook, but that one morning should be worth the wait.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Mon night, strong winds from the S by Wed afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
!
!
!
!
!
!
2
1
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.7
S
12
1.5
NE
5
1.3
NE
6
0.7
NE
7
0.6
ENE
6
2.5
S
8
3.5
S
10
4
S
10
3.5
S
11
3
S
10
2.3
S
10
1.7
SSE
9
1.6
S
9
1.5
S
9
1.1
S
9
0.9
S
9
0.4
S
16
0.6
S
8
0.5
S
9
0.2
S
21
0.4
S
18
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
132
115
141
44
28
838
2089
2888
2875
1624
952
474
421
372
198
130
79
52
39
34
104
Wind (km/h)
15
NNE
30
NE
15
N
15
SSE
20
SSE
30
S
35
SSW
35
S
30
S
20
SSW
15
SE
10
W
10
NE
20
ENE
15
W
5
WNW
15
ENE
10
WNW
10
NNE
25
NE
15
NW
Wind State
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
off
cross-on
on
off
cross-off
on
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross-off
High Tide
10:13PM1.25m
10:34AM1.46m
10:54PM1.12m
11:13AM1.40m
11:39PM1.01m
11:59AM1.34m
00:34AM0.92m
12:54PM1.27m
1:48AM0.86m
2:04PM1.24m
3:16AM0.87m
3:16PM1.25m
Low Tide
4:15PM0.24m
4:10AM0.28m
5:01PM0.31m
4:42AM0.37m
5:51PM0.39m
5:18AM0.46m
6:50PM0.46m
6:02AM0.53m
8:02PM0.50m
7:03AM0.59m
9:21PM0.50m
8:23AM0.62m
10:27PM0.45m
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:54
5:54
5:52
5:50
5:50
5:48
5:47
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:44
5:44
5:45
5:45
5:45
5:46
5:47
 mm
1
Temp °C
24
24
22
21
17
13
13
14
14
13
13
13
18
17
16
24
24
19
27
25
26
Feels °C
18
20
18
18
14
5
4
4
6
9
9
12
14
13
14
18
19
19
21
23
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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