Surf Forecasts:
Lighthouse Reef surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 16s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period, SSE swell with 283 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 11s 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 (Sep 17) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s 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 0.8m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lighthouse Reef over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 5°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri afternoon, min 3°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 10 | ENE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | SE 5 | ESE 11 | SSE 16 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 15 | SSE 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 29 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 55 | 16 | 23 | 25 | 65 | 83 | 93 | 56 | 55 | 31 | 67 | 283 | 184 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:05AM2.24m | 6:13PM1.98m | 6:51AM2.16m | 7:08PM1.98m | 7:40AM2.08m | 8:17PM2.01m | 8:38AM2.04m | 9:26PM2.05m | 9:38AM2.05m | 10:28PM2.07m | 10:31AM2.08m | 11:23PM2.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:37PM0.58m | 12:20PM0.61m | 00:24AM0.65m | 1:01PM0.67m | 1:15AM0.74m | 1:42PM0.73m | 2:14AM0.83m | 2:33PM0.78m | 3:17AM0.89m | 3:39PM0.82m | 4:17AM0.92m | 4:55PM0.80m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 16 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 |
Feels °C | 10 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ENE 6 | — | SSE 14 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | SSE 6 | SE 11 | SE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 15 | SSE 17 |
| kJ | 29 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 3 | — | 20 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 65 | 83 | 93 | 30 | 55 | 20 | 67 | 283 | 184 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | — | E 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 15 | E 15 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 15 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 44 | 56 | 49 | 31 | 25 | 12 | 32 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 15 | E 11 | — | — | S 13 | E 15 | E 10 | SE 15 | SE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | S 7 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | ENE 4 | SSE 15 | E 10 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 9 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 3 | 44 | 22 | 1 | 42 | 2 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | SW 4 | — | S 8 | NNW 2 | NNE 4 | SSW 5 | — | NE 3 | — | — | — | NE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 55 | 13 | — | 36 | 1 | 1 | 34 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 87 | 87 | 136 | 113 | 163 | 166 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 0 | 109 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 88 |
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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