Surf Forecasts:
Lighthouse Reef surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 23s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 23s period, SSE swell with 692 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with ESE 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 Thursday (Jul 16) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lighthouse Reef in the next 16 days are 0.8m 23s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 10s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 23s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 23s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, it's Rusty. Look, I’ll be straight with you – for the next week and a half, it’s a real waiting game. The swell is tiny and inconsistent for most of the run, but there is one standout session that’s worth circling on the calendar. After that, we’re looking at a long, flat spell.
The first real chance to get wet is Friday July 18th over at Lighthouse Reef. Saturday morning starts with a clean 3ft of swell from the SSE, with a very long period of 23 seconds, and the wind is a sweet offshore from the WNW. That’s a groundswell with real energy (997 combined energy), and it’s going to be clean. But the real magic happens Saturday afternoon. The wind drops to glassy – dead calm – and the swell holds at 3ft from the SSE, still with that 23-second period. The energy jumps up to 1323, which is serious push for the size. The report says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers," and I’m with that. That long period will make the waves fat and powerful, but it’s a reef setup, so it should handle it well. The break is inconsistent, but when a set comes through, it’ll be worth the wait. Crowds are possible here sometimes.
After that Saturday arvo session, it’s a slow fade. Sunday July 19th still has a clean 2ft from the ESE in the morning, but the period drops to 13 seconds and the energy is down to 300. It’s still surfable, but nothing like the day before. From Monday July 20th, it gets pretty ordinary. The wind starts messing with things, and the swell drops to 1ft or less for days on end. There’s a real gap from Monday July 20th until the end of the month, with only a few tiny, weak swells that are barely rideable.
A small pulse shows up right at the end of the outlook. On Friday July 31st morning, we get a clean 3ft from the ESE with a 14-second period, cross-off wind from the north, and 239 combined energy. It’s a good sign, but it’s a long way out – over a week away – so don’t bank on it just yet. The forecast is less certain that far out.
The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.
So, the call is clear: Saturday July 18th afternoon is the absolute standout. The rest of the window is mostly flat, with a promising but uncertain blip right at the end. Stay patient.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu afternoon, min 6°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 10°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SSE 23 | SSE 23 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 18 | SE 18 | SE 17 | SSE 17 | SE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 33 | 36 | 52 | 155 | 298 | 380 | 335 | 692 | 680 | 210 | 158 | 149 | 120 | 319 | 309 | 258 | 278 | 166 | 35 | 31 | 42 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | glassy |
High Tide | 4:02AM2.49m | 5:10PM2.55m | 5:10AM2.42m | 6:05PM2.49m | 6:19AM2.33m | 6:59PM2.37m | 7:20AM2.23m | 7:53PM2.23m | 8:18AM2.14m | 8:48PM2.10m | 9:17AM2.07m | 9:47PM2.01m | 10:14AM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:01PM0.59m | 10:31AM0.44m | 10:57PM0.61m | 11:31AM0.43m | 11:53PM0.63m | 12:31PM0.46m | 00:49AM0.64m | 1:28PM0.53m | 1:47AM0.65m | 2:22PM0.61m | 2:47AM0.67m | 3:18PM0.68m | 3:48AM0.69m | 4:19PM0.71m | |||||||
 |  | |  | | | |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:00 | — |
 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | SE 18 | SE 17 | SSE 17 | SE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 33 | 6 | 16 | 155 | 298 | 380 | 335 | 305 | 289 | 210 | 158 | 149 | 89 | 319 | 309 | 258 | 278 | 166 | 35 | 31 | 42 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 23 | SSE 23 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 4 | 36 | 34 | 95 | 93 | 86 | 91 | 692 | 680 | 151 | 126 | 142 | 62 | 57 | 57 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | — | ESE 16 | S 15 | S 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | — | SSE 16 | SE 21 | SE 20 | SE 19 | SSE 18 | ESE 12 | — | — | ESE 12 | — | SSE 15 | — | — |
| kJ | 20 | — | 52 | 159 | 116 | 44 | 75 | — | 354 | 115 | 16 | 57 | 120 | 98 | — | — | 52 | — | 21 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 87 | 87 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 98 | 1 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 87 | 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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