Surf Forecasts:
Lighthouse Reef surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, ENE swell with 417 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lighthouse Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lighthouse Reef in the next 16 days are 2.0m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a cuppa and listen up. Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks at Lighthouse Reef, so let’s break it down.
First off, the water temp is sitting around 49°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year. Nothing crazy, but a touch on the mild side.
We start off pretty slow. This Sunday and Monday are looking pretty ordinary – small waves around the 2ft to 2ft mark with weak energy, nothing to get excited about. Tuesday morning picks up a little with a clean 3ft wave from the ESE at 8 seconds, but still very average.
Now, Wednesday the 12th is the standout in this first week. Wednesday morning we’ve got a clean 7ft swell from the ENE, with a period of 7 seconds and moderate energy (541). Winds are light and cross-off, so it should be looking pretty good out there. This one’s for the advanced crew though – that size at a spot like this is not for beginners. It might be a bit lumpy for a beach and reef setup, but it’s the best we’ve got. Crowds are possible here, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.
After that, we drop back into smaller, choppier conditions through the end of the week and into the weekend. Friday and Saturday are a write-off with strong onshores and messy seas. Saturday morning sees near gale-force winds, so don’t bother.
The following week starts to look a bit more interesting again. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th mornings have clean, glassy conditions but with very small waves – only 1ft to 2ft. However, the period is getting longer, with 12 to 15 second intervals, so there’s a bit more push in the water, but it’s still tiny. The combined swell energy is moderate: 140 to 228.
The next standout is Thursday the 20th morning. We’ve got glassy conditions with a calm wind, a 3ft swell from the SE at 10 seconds, and moderate energy (172). It’s not going to blow you away, but for a clean, small-wave session, it’s the pick of the second week.
After that, we’re back to tiny, glassy mornings from the 21st through to the 24th, with 1ft to 2ft ESE swell and mostly clean conditions. Nothing big, but if you’ve got a longboard, there’ll be something to ride.
Overall, the real highlight is Wednesday morning the 12th for the bigger, clean swell. The rest of the forecast is small and inconsistent, so pick your windows and don’t expect too much.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 10°C on Sun afternoon, min 6°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | SSE 6 | E 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 33 | 40 | 19 | 23 | 33 | 57 | 71 | 57 | 107 | 417 | 97 | 117 | 89 | 65 | 63 | 82 | 90 | 69 | 52 | 103 | 118 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:53AM2.34m | 00:16AM2.35m | 12:48PM2.41m | 1:10AM2.46m | 1:48PM2.46m | 2:00AM2.52m | 2:52PM2.50m | 2:52AM2.52m | 3:52PM2.50m | 3:49AM2.46m | 4:45PM2.44m | 4:53AM2.38m | 5:34PM2.31m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:12PM0.68m | 6:29AM0.68m | 7:03PM0.61m | 7:25AM0.61m | 7:53PM0.56m | 8:21AM0.51m | 8:44PM0.56m | 9:16AM0.43m | 9:38PM0.58m | 10:12AM0.40m | 10:34PM0.59m | 11:11AM0.42m | 11:27PM0.59m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  |  |  | | |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 9 | -1 | -4 | -2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 7 | ESE 14 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 11 |
| kJ | 33 | 40 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 57 | 71 | 57 | 39 | 104 | 97 | 117 | 89 | 65 | 63 | 82 | 90 | 69 | 52 | 34 | 118 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | E 6 | SE 8 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | SE 13 | SE 14 | E 14 | S 4 | SSE 4 | E 13 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 13 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 56 | 34 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | SE 9 | E 7 | NE 7 | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | E 15 | S 18 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | SE 14 | SE 16 | — | SSE 16 |
| kJ | 14 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 10 | — | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 5 | SE 6 | — | NE 6 | NE 3 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSW 4 | S 16 | SSE 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 20 | 33 | — | 2 | 7 | 107 | 417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 129 | 103 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 87 | 0 | 155 | 109 | 0 | 138 | 222 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 0 | 7 | 141 | 0 | 151 | 162 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lighthouse Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lighthouse Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lighthouse Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lighthouse Reef surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Lighthouse Reef) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Lighthouse Reef may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Lighthouse Reef is 4 km (2 miles) from the city of Timaru. If you plan a holiday in Canterbury, look for hotels and other accommodation in Timaru. Timaru has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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