Lawrencetown Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let's talk swell in feet and miles per hour. It's going to be a real waiting game for most of this stretch. The first bit of rideable surf shows up on the 27th of August, but the real standout is way down the line.

The water temperature is a massive 66°F, which is almost 5°F warmer than it should be for this time of year at Lawrencetown Reef. That's a real treat, like a tropical anomaly.

Today and tomorrow are a bust. The 25th of August gives us a 3ft windswell from the SSE with a weak 6-second period and rubbish energy. It’s choppy and blown out. Wednesday the 26th sees a little more size – 4ft in the morning with an 8-second period and moderate energy (252) – but the cross-shore wind kills it. The afternoon is an even bigger mess.

Now, Thursday morning, the 27th of August: that’s your first real shot. It's glassy – dead calm. The swell is a clean 4ft from the SE with an 8-second period and moderate energy (179). The glassy conditions mean it’ll look pretty, but it’s still just ordinary, small surf. Good for a longboard, maybe.

The 28th and 29th are tiny and crummy – onshore and cross-shore winds ruining any little bump. The 30th and 31st stay poor, though the morning of the 31st has a clean looking 3ft wave from the SW with a bit of cross-offshore wind. Not worth the drive though. Then we hit a real drought from the 1st of September through the 6th. The first few days of September are hammered by strong onshore winds and flat, small swell. Some of it is clean, but the wave heights barely hit 3ft and the energy is pathetic.

There’s a glimmer on Thursday the 3rd: a 4ft easterly swell with a 7-second period and moderate energy (156) under a clean cross-offshore breeze. Still, it’s not enough to get stoked about. The 4th of September offers a 2ft clean wave in the morning with offshore wind, but the energy is too low to be any fun.

The one session in the entire 16-day forecast that’s worth planning for is Wednesday the 9th of September. The numbers show a 4ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period and solid moderate energy (253). The wind will be cross-onshore, so it will be a bit rough, but this is the biggest and most energetic swell of the run. For a reef like Lawrencetown Reef, the ESE direction works well. It’s the best you’re going to get, even with the chop. Keep your expectations honest.

For the beginners out there – anything over 5ft is a handful, so most of this forecast is manageable. But the reality is, there are long stretches of flat, poor conditions. If you can wait, that Wednesday the 9th is the only real standout. This has been Rusty.

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