Lawrencetown Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at what Lawrencetown Reef has cookin' for us over the next couple weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a grim stretch to start. We’re talkin’ days of nothing but small, weak slop and onshore junk. For the first week, from Sunday the 5th right through to Tuesday the 8th, it’s practically flat with terrible wind – we’re talkin’ puny 1ft to 2ft swell, mostly cross-on or onshore, and combined energy readings between 21 and 44 (weak). Not worth paddling out for. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no worries there, but the waves just aren’t happening.

Now, Wednesday the 8th is where things get interesting. The morning shows a jump to 6ft from the SE, with a 6-second period, and the combined energy is at 293 (moderate). The wind is cross-off from the ENE, which is a big positive – it’ll be clean. That afternoon, the swell pushes up to 7ft from the SE (8-second period), and the energy climbs to 508 (moderate to strong). The wind stays cross-off and clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook. This is solid, punchy reef surf, but heads up – 7ft is getting into expert territory, especially for a reef break. It’s not for beginners or the faint of heart. The swell direction is SE, which isn’t the optimum SE, but close enough that it should wrap in nicely. Crowds are possible here, so keep an eye out.

After that, it falls apart again. Thursday the 9th brings 4ft, but it’s cross-on and choppy. The rest of that week and into the next is a mix of onshore junk, poor conditions, and weak energy readings (mostly under 200). The swell stays small and wind is mostly bad – onshore or cross-on from the south or southwest. Not worth your time.

The second week does have a bit of a pulse showing up around Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, but the wind is straight onshore. Saturday the 18th afternoon sees 7ft from the SSW (7 seconds, 428 energy), and Sunday the 19th hits 8ft from the SSW (9-10 seconds, 983-1059 energy). That’s a lot of water moving, but with onshore wind at 12-16 mph, it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. Too big and too choppy for a good time. More of a kite-surfing show than a clean paddle session.

Honestly, your best bet is to wait til Wednesday the 8th and get on that afternoon window. It’s the only real quality window in the whole 16-day stretch. After that, there’s a long gap of over a week with nothing to recommend. The spot itself is fairly consistent, but the conditions are just not playing ball for most of the month.

- Rusty

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