Surf Forecasts:
Lighthouse Reef surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, SE swell with 827 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with S 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 16) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 16s 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 1.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 10s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Sat morning, min 4°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Sat morning, calm by Mon morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 7 | SSE 5 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 16 | SE 16 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | SSE 10 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 11 | SE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 16 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 27 | 55 | 121 | 86 | 443 | 61 | 64 | 61 | 44 | 69 | 176 | 827 | 536 | 213 | 84 | 137 | 89 | 65 | 42 | 38 | 16 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 5:34PM2.31m | 5:53AM2.30m | 6:23PM2.16m | 6:48AM2.22m | 7:14PM2.03m | 7:41AM2.14m | 8:11PM1.95m | 8:34AM2.07m | 9:13PM1.95m | 9:29AM2.03m | 10:13PM1.99m | 10:22AM2.03m | 11:08PM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:11AM0.42m | 11:27PM0.59m | 12:08PM0.48m | 00:17AM0.60m | 12:59PM0.56m | 1:07AM0.64m | 1:47PM0.64m | 2:01AM0.70m | 2:34PM0.69m | 3:00AM0.77m | 3:28PM0.73m | 4:01AM0.82m | 4:32PM0.74m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — |
 | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — |
mm | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 11 |
Feels °C | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | SE 5 | SE 6 | ESE 12 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | E 10 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 11 | SE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 13 |
| kJ | 27 | 8 | 42 | 40 | 15 | 60 | 64 | 61 | 44 | 69 | 17 | 827 | 536 | 213 | 84 | 137 | 89 | 33 | 42 | 38 | 16 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | ESE 13 | SSE 16 | SE 16 | S 16 | SE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | S 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 13 | SSE 15 | ESE 12 | E 13 | SE 11 | E 11 | SSE 16 | SE 16 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 26 | 17 | 50 | 66 | 190 | 61 | 20 | 19 | 8 | 33 | 16 | 805 | 15 | 4 | 30 | 2 | 26 | 65 | 15 | 16 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 11 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ENE 10 | E 12 | ESE 15 | SE 15 | SSE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 14 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 12 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 12 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 3 | 23 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 5 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 16 | — | — | — | SSW 8 | — | SSE 10 | — | — | — | — | N 2 | — | NE 3 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 55 | 121 | 86 | 443 | — | — | — | 101 | — | 176 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 141 | 7 | 7 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 0 | 0 | 268 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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