Lyall Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.33° S 174.80° E

Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lyall Bay sea temperature is
12.2° C
0.2° 

Lyall Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Lyall Bay surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, SSW swell with 1,621 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period with S 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 (Jul 21) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 7s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Tue 21st Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 12s
Best Surf 9PM (Sat 25th Jul)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s
Most Powerful12PM (Sat 25th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, checking in with the local skinny.

First thing you need to know: Lyall Bay is looking at a pretty grim stretch for the next week or so. There’s a huge gap of poor conditions to start, so don't get your hopes up early. The first real glimmer of something worth paddling out for is Wednesday the 22nd, but it's a small one. That morning, it’s glassy with a calm wind and a 4ft S swell (period 12 seconds). The combined energy is moderate at 327, so it’s not going to be pumping, but it’ll be clean. It’s pretty inconsistent here though, so don't expect a crowd or a full session. Water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild.

Right now, the standout window is actually Monday the 27th afternoon. The wind goes gentle offshore out of the N at 15 km/h, and the swell is a solid 8ft S (period 7 seconds). That’s a lot of energy in the water (901 combined energy), and it’s going to be clean. The crowd factor is "sometimes" here, so you might have some company, but for a spot that’s usually inconsistent, this is the one to aim for. It’s a bit short period though, so it’ll be a bit dumpy, but with offshore wind, it’ll be rideable. Anything over 8ft and we’re talking expert-only territory, but this is just under that, so it’s doable for most.

After that, Tuesday the 28th afternoon goes glassy again with a 4ft ESE swell, but the period is 13 seconds, so it’s a groundswell. That’s a long wait between sets, but the energy is still decent (648). It’s clean, but it’s a bit of a waiting game.

Looking further out, Saturday the 1st of August gets a massive 10ft SSW swell, but it’s onshore with a light S wind. The guidance says it’s too big for this break, and I’d have to agree. That’s for experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. The combined energy is off the charts, but it’s not clean.

Then Monday the 3rd of August is total chaos. We’re looking at a 20ft S swell with a 13-second period. That’s a monster. Combined energy is 12134, which is insane. The wind is cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a mess. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The same goes for the 4th and 5th of August – huge swell, but ugly.

So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Monday the 27th afternoon. It’s the standout. The 28th is a close second if you don’t mind the long period. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too big to handle.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, strong winds from the NNW by Thu afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu night, min 5°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the N on Fri afternoon, calm by Sat night).

Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
2
2
2
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.1
S
16
1.7
S
14
1.5
S
13
1.3
S
12
1.1
S
12
0.7
SSW
12
0.5
SSW
13
0.4
SSW
12
0.4
SSW
9
0.3
SSW
9
0.2
S
9
0.1
SE
11
0.2
SSW
16
0.9
SW
4
3.5
SSW
8
1.7
S
8
1.8
S
6
2.2
S
7
2.4
S
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2316
1081
782
497
316
155
90
51
28
16
7
5
25
23
1595
355
259
414
553
Wind (km/h)
10
NE
25
N
30
N
10
N
0
NW
10
S
10
N
35
N
40
NNW
45
NNW
45
NNW
50
N
35
NNW
30
W
30
SSW
5
S
30
SSE
35
S
15
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
off
off
off
glassy
on
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross
on
glassy
on
on
cross-on
High Tide
10:08PM1.66m
10:31AM1.66m
10:58PM1.63m
11:21AM1.65m
11:46PM1.60m
12:11PM1.63m
00:31AM1.58m
12:59PM1.62m
1:17AM1.54m
1:44PM1.61m
2:04AM1.51m
2:26PM1.60m
2:50AM1.48m
Low Tide
4:27AM0.57m
4:53PM0.58m
5:15AM0.61m
5:45PM0.63m
6:00AM0.65m
6:33PM0.67m
6:43AM0.70m
7:19PM0.71m
7:24AM0.73m
8:03PM0.73m
8:06AM0.76m
8:47PM0.75m
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
mod rain
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
heavy rain
light rain
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:39
7:37
7:37
7:35
7:35
7:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:15
5:15
5:16
5:17
5:19
5:19
 mm
4
10
3
2
2
1
13
3
Temp °C
9
8
10
11
10
10
9
11
13
13
12
12
12
10
9
7
5
7
8
Feels °C
6
2
4
6
8
7
7
3
5
4
4
3
4
2
1
4
-2
-2
0
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Lyall Bay:

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 Lyall Bay 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest