Lawrencetown Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the table for our little slice of coast over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – we’re in for a long dry spell before anything really gets going.

The pattern for the next week and a half is pretty grim. From now through to late September, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing. Tiny little windswells, messy directions, and just no energy to speak of. It’s a proper gap. For nine straight days, from the 12th up until the 24th, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. You’ll see the odd little 1ft to 5ft bump, but the combined energy is weak (54 to 260), and the wave comments are all “poor surf conditions.” Not worth the wetsuit zip.

Now, the light at the end of the tunnel. Things get interesting on Thursday the 24th, but you have to be careful what you wish for. Thursday afternoon a solid 7ft SE swell rolls in with a combined energy of 1279 – that’s strong, real strong. Problem is, at that size, Lawrencetown Reef is going to be absolutely thumping, and the forecast says it’s actually predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert-only territory. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit of a mess on top of the heavy water. If you’re a seasoned charger, maybe, but for the rest of us, it’s a pass.

Friday the 25th is the real standout, but again, it’s for the brave. Morning sees an 8ft swell from the SE with a period of 10 seconds and an energy reading of 1264. That is a serious amount of power. The wind is a light offshore cross-off, so the faces will be clean. This is big, powerful groundswell. It’s going to be fast and critical, and with that size, it’s only for experts. The afternoon drops slightly to 7ft, but the wind swings cross-onshore, so the morning is the window if you’ve got the nerve.

Then we get a tease on Saturday the 26th. The morning cleans up with glassy conditions and a 5ft SE swell (energy 591 – moderate to strong). The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” and with no wind, it’ll be perfect. This is the one for the average surfer. It’s still a bit punchy at 5ft, but it’s the best balance of size and clean conditions we get. The afternoon drops to 4ft and goes onshore, so get it while it’s glassy.

After that, we fade back into small, weak junk for the end of the month.

Water temp is sitting at 62°F right now, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Nice little bonus for the session on the 26th.

So to wrap it up: Saturday the 26th morning at Lawrencetown Reef is your best bet if you want clean, surfable waves without getting smashed. If you’re a proper charger and you don’t mind a bit of a beating, Friday the 25th morning has the biggest, most powerful swell of the run. The rest is a write-off until then.

Rusty.

Read more