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Lighthouse Reef Surf Forecast
/ Canterbury (28 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Lighthouse Reef surfForecast / Canterbury / New Zealand
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 am Thursday 30 Apr 2026 NZSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Lighthouse Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Lighthouse Reef sea temperature is
13.7° C
(Which is 2.2°C warmer than normal for this time of year)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 (Apr 30) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s is also forecast. 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 0.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (May 06) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 30th Apr) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 30th Apr) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | Wednesday 6 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SE 14 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SE 13 | E 9 | E 9 | E 6 | |
93 | 87 | 53 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 18 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | |
High Tide | 2:37PM2.14m | 2:55AM2.11m | 3:12PM2.14m | 3:17AM2.14m | 3:46PM2.12m | 3:41AM2.23m | 4:23PM2.08m | 4:13AM2.32m | 5:06PM2.03m | 4:52AM2.35m | 5:56PM1.99m | 5:41AM2.29m | 6:55PM1.98m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:50PM0.57m | 9:00AM0.63m | 9:27PM0.61m | 9:40AM0.62m | 10:02PM0.67m | 10:23AM0.61m | 10:37PM0.73m | 11:09AM0.64m | 11:16PM0.79m | 11:57AM0.71m | 11:59PM0.87m | 12:49PM0.80m | 00:48AM0.95m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — |
 | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 13 | — | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 6 |
 kJ | 24 | 11 | 16 | 28 | 23 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 7 | — | 18 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SE 14 | ENE 4 | SSE 14 | SSE 16 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | E 6 | E 5 | S 6 | — | — | SE 8 | SE 13 | E 4 | — | SE 13 | SE 9 | S 13 | SE 14 |
| kJ | 93 | 87 | 53 | 2 | 19 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | ENE 3 | SSE 14 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 12 | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | S 9 | E 11 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 2 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | ENE 4 | — | — | ENE 3 | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 87 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 136 | 87 | 87 | 136 | 88 | 88 | 136 | 87 | 87 | 136 | 89 | 136 | 136 | 87 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Lighthouse Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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