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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 Wednesday 20 May 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
12.3° C
(Which is 1.8°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 (May 21) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s 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 0.7m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 3s period and expected on Thursday (May 21) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 21st May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 24th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 24th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
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 Thu morning, min 7°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
E 10 | E 14 | E 13 | NE 5 | E 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 16 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | |
2 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 15 | 65 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 82 | 171 | 264 | 236 | 180 | 132 | 118 | 71 | 55 | 43 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | |
High Tide | 6:41PM2.52m | 7:03AM2.33m | 7:42PM2.51m | 8:08AM2.34m | 8:40PM2.48m | 9:07AM2.29m | 9:36PM2.43m | 10:06AM2.21m | 10:31PM2.34m | 11:07AM2.14m | 11:29PM2.24m | 12:04PM2.10m | 00:28AM2.14m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:10PM0.57m | 00:37AM0.56m | 1:14PM0.58m | 1:32AM0.62m | 2:15PM0.59m | 2:35AM0.67m | 3:14PM0.60m | 3:46AM0.68m | 4:12PM0.62m | 4:51AM0.64m | 5:13PM0.63m | 5:47AM0.62m | 6:13PM0.62m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | |  |  |  | |
 | 7:48 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — |
 | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:07 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 15 | |
Temp °C | 9 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 |
5 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 4 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 4 | ENE 4 | E 8 | E 6 | SSE 6 | SE 4 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | — | SSE 14 | SSE 16 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 11 | E 11 |
 kJ | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 24 | 5 | 65 | 40 | 40 | — | 82 | 171 | 264 | 236 | 180 | 132 | 118 | 71 | 20 | 9 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | S 10 | E 12 | E 7 | SSE 12 | E 11 | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | E 5 | SSE 6 | E 12 | E 13 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | SE 16 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 16 | 30 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | S 18 | E 12 | E 5 | SE 11 | E 7 | ENE 4 | E 12 | — | — | E 13 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | ENE 7 | — | S 15 | S 15 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | — | 5 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 4 | — | NE 5 | S 4 | — | — | ENE 3 | — | — | SE 12 | — | NE 5 | ENE 2 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | SE 6 |
| kJ | — | 2 | — | 23 | 9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 40 | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 55 | 43 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 162 | 162 | 166 | 222 | 87 | 151 | 90 | 98 | 136 | 0 | 87 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 141 |
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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