Lawrencetown Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for this stretch around Lawrencetown Reef.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a quiet spell. The first few days through the end of August and into the start of September are looking pretty flat and uninspiring, with small weak waves and a lot of poor conditions. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report there.

We’ll see a little bump on Monday morning, August 31st, with a clean 4ft swell from the SW, period a short 6 seconds, and a gentle offshore wind from the NNW. That’s a surfable wave but it’s nothing to write home about. The energy is low (174). Tuesday morning, September 1st, looks glassy with a long period 10 second swell, but it’s only 0.7ft – really just a ripple.

The real story here is the big pulse that comes through around Friday, September 4th, and hangs into Saturday, September 5th. We’re looking at some serious size – 8ft on Friday morning, jumping to 12ft by the afternoon, and still 12ft on Saturday morning. The combined energy is massive: 498 on Friday morning, then 1941, 1854, and even 2160 on Saturday afternoon. That’s a lot of water moving. The swell direction swings from SE to E and ENE, with periods around 7 to 9 seconds. The wind is light and clean on Friday morning, but gets a bit cross to cross-on as it goes.

Now, I gotta be straight with you – for a beginner-friendly reef break, this is way too much juice. Anything over 8ft is expert territory, and this is pushing well past that. The forecast even notes that the swell is too big for this break. This setup is looking far more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers. The quality is there for the right crew, but if you’re not a seasoned pro, stay well clear.

After that big blast, things settle down again. Sunday, September 6th, we see a drop to 4ft from the E with a 9-second period, but the conditions are ordinary and the energy is low (191). The rest of the first week of September stays small and unremarkable, with poor surf through to the 11th.

We get another chance on the morning of Friday, September 12th, with a clean 5ft swell from the SSW, period 9 seconds, and a strong offshore wind from the N at 35 km/h. The energy is moderate (366). It’s marginal but clean. The same holds through Saturday, September 13th, with a 5ft SW swell, a 6-second period, and a light offshore NNE wind producing clean conditions (387 energy). That’s the best of the second week – a solid, clean, surfable wave for intermediate and above.

Standout: If you’re an expert, the big swell on Friday, September 4th morning, is the standout. Clean 8ft SE swell at a reef break with clean conditions. For everyone else, the best bet is the clean, offshore swell on Sunday, September 13th morning – 5ft from the SW with light offshore winds. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Crowds are possible here, so you might have some company.

That’s the picture from here. Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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