Surf Forecasts:
Lakes Beach surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, E swell with 313 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period with ESE 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 (Aug 19) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lakes Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lakes Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Lakes Beach.
First off, the news ain't great for the next week and a half. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions, with a few rare moments that might just get you wet. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so no shock there.
We kick things off on Wednesday the 19th of August morning. It’s a small window of hope. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the ESE with a short period of 7 seconds and moderate wave energy (211). But the wind is glassy from the north at only 3 mph. That’s clean, and for an exposed sandbar like Lakes Beach, that’s your best shot. It’s an advanced spot that’s fairly consistent, but it can get crowded sometimes. That morning is the standout for the whole first week. Get on it early.
After that morning, it drops right off. The wind swings around, the swell gets smaller, and conditions turn choppy or just weak. Expect several days of poor surf from Wednesday afternoon right through to Tuesday the 25th of August. There’s a tiny blip on Tuesday afternoon with a 2 ft ENE swell and offshore wind (9 mph) that cleans it up, but the energy is low (77) and it’s just ordinary. Not worth getting too excited about.
Wednesday the 26th of August is blown out with strong winds. Then we finally see something on Thursday the 27th of August morning. The swell picks up to 4 ft from the south with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 290 (moderate), and with a light NNW breeze at 6 mph making it cross-offshore, the waves should be clean. That’s a solid window for the more advanced crew. By the afternoon the wind turns onshore, so it’s a morning-only call.
Friday the 28th of August morning is surfable but ordinary, with 3 ft SE swell. After that, the 29th of August Saturday sees a big jump in swell size—up to 8 ft on the Saturday morning and 13 ft Saturday afternoon—but it comes with gale-force cross-shore winds. That’s a mess. This is a beach and sandbar setup, so those conditions are more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Too big and too wild.
Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st of August are still big (up to 8 ft and 6 ft) but with strong cross-onshore winds, making it lumpy and poor. Into the first of September, the swell drops back under 3 ft but the wind stays fresh and messy.
The final bright spot is Thursday the 3rd of September morning. A small 2 ft ENE groundswell with a long period of 11 seconds (126 energy) and light offshore SSW wind at 3 mph. Clean, long-period waves, but at a beach break, those long lines might break a bit straight. Still, a quiet, clean morning for the patient surfer.
So, to sum it up: the standout is Wednesday 19th August morning for glassy conditions and a small clean wave. The other real highlight is Thursday 27th August morning for a better-sized, clean south swell. Everything else is a waiting game. A long gap of poor conditions in between, but it’s normal for this area—forecasts can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 23°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | E 10 | SE 9 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 16 | S 8 | S 10 | ENE 7 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
94 | 313 | 95 | 81 | 57 | 113 | 35 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 40 | 44 | 33 | 44 | 56 | 157 | 124 | 101 | 80 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:52PM1.32m | 1:05AM0.96m | 1:49PM1.28m | 2:17AM0.88m | 2:54PM1.27m | 3:41AM0.86m | 4:01PM1.29m | 4:54AM0.89m | 4:58PM1.35m | 5:47AM0.94m | 5:46PM1.42m | 6:29AM1.01m | 6:27PM1.49m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:30PM0.50m | 6:53AM0.47m | 8:46PM0.53m | 7:49AM0.53m | 10:05PM0.51m | 8:59AM0.56m | 11:10PM0.46m | 10:09AM0.54m | 11:58PM0.39m | 11:07AM0.50m | 00:37AM0.32m | 11:56AM0.43m | 1:12AM0.24m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 3 |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | S 8 | SE 9 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
94 | 10 | 95 | 81 | 31 | 113 | 35 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 40 | 38 | 33 | 44 | 41 | 94 | 124 | 101 | 80 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | S 15 | E 12 | E 11 | E 10 | S 13 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | S 5 | SSW 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 16 | NE 9 | E 5 | S 16 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 |
90 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 44 | 19 | 13 | 19 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 15 | — | E 11 | — | — | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | S 12 | NE 8 | E 13 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | NNW 3 |
27 | 4 | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | — | NNW 2 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | ENE 9 | ENE 4 | NNW 2 | ENE 7 | NE 6 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | SW 4 |
— | 313 | 69 | 28 | 57 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 29 | 11 | 1 | 56 | 157 | 15 | 10 | 9 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 336 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 63 | 216 | 216 | 283 | 104 | 0 | 283 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
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.











