Lighthouse Reef surfForecast / Canterbury / New Zealand

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Sunday 22 Mar 2026 NZDT
Forecast 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
15.8° C
(Which is 2.7°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 Monday (Mar 23) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s. 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 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Mar 27) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Mar 29) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Mon 23rd Mar)2ft (0.6m) 10s
Best Surf10PM (Fri 27th Mar)5ft (1.5m) 11s
Most Powerful 1AM (Fri 27th Mar)10ft (3.0m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 21°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the NE by Thu afternoon).

Sunday
22
Monday
23
Tuesday
24
Wednesday
25
Thursday
26
Friday
27
Saturday
28
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
3
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.7
E
0.7
E
0.6
E
0.6
ESE
0.5
ESE
0.5
E
0.4
ESE
0.3
ESE
0.2
ESE
0.3
ESE
0.3
ESE
0.3
ESE
0.6
ESE
1.2
E
3
ENE
1.5
E
1.4
E
1.5
E
1.2
E
1
E
0.7
E
Period(s) (?)101010101010991513131267910101110109
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)98986875564928162135322825131128844141854631318383
Wind
(km/h)
5
WSW
15
SE
5
S
10
N
20
ENE
10
NNE
10
SSW
15
SE
10
SSW
15
SSW
15
SSE
5
N
20
NE
35
NE
15
NNE
20
NNE
25
NNE
10
SW
10
ENE
20
SSE
10
SSE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
glasscross-
on
glasscross-
off
cross-
on
crosscrosscross-
on
crosscrosscross-
on
cross-
off
crosscross-
on
crosscrosscrosscross-
off
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
7:15PM
2.20
7:12AM
2.08
8:13PM
2.25
8:14AM
2.05
9:14PM
2.31
9:24AM
2.08
10:15PM
2.37
10:32AM
2.15
11:12PM
2.43
11:34AM
2.22
12:06AM
2.47
12:33PM
2.25
1:03AM
2.48
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:53PM
0.42
1:26AM
0.54
1:44PM
0.49
2:18AM
0.64
2:39PM
0.57
3:13AM
0.73
3:41PM
0.64
4:15AM
0.77
4:44PM
0.67
5:24AM
0.77
5:44PM
0.66
6:27AM
0.72
6:41PM
0.62
Sunday
22
Monday
23
Tuesday
24
Wednesday
25
Thursday
26
Friday
27
Saturday
28
Sunrise7:37--7:39--7:41--7:41--7:43--7:43--7:46--
Sunset-7:44--7:43--7:40--7:38--7:37--7:35--7:32-
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
heavy rain
mod rain
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
Rain (mm)
------------148-------
Temp. °C171614161715171615141414141514192119181413
Feels °C (?)151313141413151415121213111012151718171110
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Lighthouse Reef:

join our community of surf reporters

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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest