Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 4,419 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lyall Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 3.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Alright, let’s be straight with you—looking at the next 16 days for Lyall Bay, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, the opening stretch is a write-off. There’s a run of poor conditions and blown-out surf that we gotta get through before anything worthwhile shows up. But don’t lose hope, because there’s a decent window tucked in there if you’re patient.
The first real chance for a surf doesn’t come until the morning of the 8th of September. After a week of strong winds and tiny, messy waves, we finally see things line up. The water temp is sitting around 55.6°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year—nothing crazy, but a slight edge. That Tuesday morning, we’ve got a 5.9ft swell from the south with a 10-second period. The wind is almost nothing, glassy conditions, and the energy is moderate at 602. This is a bright spot. The swell direction is a bit east of the optimum, but for a beach break, that clean, glassy surface is what you want. This is likely the best and cleanest surf of the whole period. After that, Tuesday afternoon is still rideable, but the offshore wind picks up, that 4.9ft swell from the south is still there, but it’s not as special.
From Wednesday the 9th of September onwards, it starts to fall apart again. The wind howls, and the surf gets messy or just too big and blown out. There is a big pulse of swell on the 10th and 11th, but it’s coming with strong southerly winds—that’s a full onshore mess. We’re talking 9.8ft to 14.8ft of swell, but it is not for paddling. If the wind stays like that, the setup at Lyall Bay is more interesting for kite surfers than surfers. It's just too wind-blown.
The last noteworthy session is on the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September. This one is a week and a bit out, so treat it as promising but not locked in. There’s a 4.6ft southwest groundswell with a long 14-second period. The wind is offshore, and conditions should be clean. The energy is a solid moderate reading at 705. It could be a good one, but the long period means it might be a bit straight at a beach break. Still, it’s the second standout of the window. After lunch that day, the southerly wind returns and ruins the party again.
The long and short of it is: don’t get too worked up about the first week. Get out on the morning of the 8th—that’s your best bet for clean, fun waves. The 15th could be another one, but we’ll have to see. That’s your lot from Lyall Bay. Stay stoked.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Mon afternoon, light winds from the SW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (gales from the NNW on Thu night, light winds from the NW by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1164 | 4589 | 4419 | 4047 | 2356 | 1584 | 2346 | 956 | 411 | 257 | 146 | 47 | 23 | 21 | 41 | 54 | 55 | 137 | 83 | 48 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | on | cross-on | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:24PM1.54m | 7:48AM1.56m | 8:18PM1.56m | 8:38AM1.62m | 9:10PM1.59m | 9:27AM1.67m | 10:00PM1.61m | 10:16AM1.71m | 10:48PM1.62m | 11:08AM1.73m | 11:37PM1.62m | 12:02PM1.74m | 00:30AM1.61m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:50AM0.69m | 2:06PM0.65m | 2:39AM0.67m | 3:02PM0.62m | 3:27AM0.63m | 3:55PM0.59m | 4:15AM0.59m | 4:46PM0.55m | 5:04AM0.55m | 5:36PM0.51m | 5:52AM0.51m | 6:25PM0.49m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | |
mm | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | — | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SW 6 | S 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 10 |
1164 | — | 3310 | 4047 | 2356 | 1584 | 2346 | 956 | 411 | 257 | 146 | 47 | 15 | 9 | 35 | 54 | 55 | 137 | 83 | 19 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | — | — | — | S 18 | S 17 | SE 13 | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | — | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | — | SSW 16 |
5 | — | — | — | 163 | 1508 | 7 | — | 5 | 4 | — | 25 | 23 | 6 | 41 | 51 | 37 | 3 | — | 48 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — | — | — |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 10 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 9 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | — | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 5 |
133 | 4589 | 4419 | — | 35 | 18 | 165 | 287 | 297 | 391 | 476 | 1725 | 153 | 98 | 15 | 51 | 257 | 604 | 671 | 123 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 64 | 63 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 64 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 108 | 126 | 116 | 38 | 0 | 54 | 126 | 158 | 64 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lyall Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lyall Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lyall Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lyall Bay 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 (Lyall Bay) 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 Lyall Bay 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.
Lyall Bay is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Wellington. If you plan a holiday in Wellington, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wellington. Wellington has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











