Lido Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – if you’re looking for a classic surf session at Lido Beach over the next couple of weeks, you’re gonna be scratching your head. The whole 16-day stretch is a dud. There’s not a single day where the stars align for a proper paddle. The ocean’s just not interested in giving us anything worthwhile.

Right from the get-go, Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th, the swell is tiny – we’re talking 1 ft to 2 ft of slop, mostly from the SSE or S, with shockingly short periods of just 3 to 6 seconds. The combined swell energy is pathetic, maxing out at a weak 25 (moderate wave energy). The water’s sitting at 78°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only notable thing. The wind is all over the shop – onshore, cross-shore, doesn’t matter – it’s all producing poor surf conditions.

Thursday the 13th sees a slight bump to 4 ft from the S, with combined energy hitting 75 (moderate wave energy), but the wind is a moderate onshore breeze, making for a choppy, ugly mess. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th offer some clean-ish conditions with cross-offshore and offshore winds, but the swell is a miserable 1 ft to 2 ft. That’s dribble, not surf.

Then there’s a gap: from Saturday the 15th afternoon right through to late on the 16th, it’s just more onshore crud and small waves. Nothing to report.

Finally, on Monday the 17th, we get a bit of a pulse. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSW with a 7-second period, and the combined energy rockets to 513 (strong wave energy). The wind is cross-offshore, and the conditions are clean. This is the only window that’s even worth a look, but at 6 ft, it’s right on the edge of being too big for beginners. Even then, the score is a measly 1 out of 10 – "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." Tuesday the 18th morning is clean with offshore wind and 2 ft swell, but again, it’s tiny and rated "surfable but very ordinary."

The rest of the week and into the following week is a rinse-and-repeat of onshore winds, tiny swell, and combined energies that barely get into triple digits. The best we see after that is 3 ft on the 24th and 25th, but the wind is either cross-offshore or cross-on with moderate to fresh breezes, making for lumpy, choppy conditions. There’s a brief 3 ft on Sunday the 23rd afternoon with a slight cross-offshore wind, but at 99 combined energy (moderate wave energy), it’s just not worth getting excited about. The long period of 12 seconds from the SE on the 19th is a tease – a groundswell with that much period is best on a point or reef, but at 2 ft and with cross-shore chop, it’s still poor.

Honestly, for the entire 16 days, Lido Beach is a write-off. It’s a beach/jetty setup that’s totally exposed, but with the combination of tiny swell, inconsistent pulses, and poor wind, it’s more likely to appeal to kite surfers than anyone on a paddleboard. This area tends to have these flat, frustrating runs, so it’s not unusual. The forecasts can change, but right now, leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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