Lyall Bay Surf Break

Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 41.33° S 174.80° E

Issued: 11 pm 04 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lyall Bay sea temperature is
12.0° C

Slightly cooler than normal

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 4 Jul 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 4,098 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lyall Bay this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) 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 1.5m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 05) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful12PM (Thu 9th Jul)15ft (4.5m) 10s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Lyall Bay.

Right now, the 16-day window starts off with a bit of a gap. There’s nothing worth getting out of bed for until at least Monday the 7th, and even then it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at a whole week of solid, stormy southerly swell with heavy onshore winds. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

From Sunday the 6th through to Monday the 13th, the swell is just too big and messy – we’re talking 10 ft to 15 ft of southerly windswell with short, weak periods and combined wave energy readings in the thousands (1035 to 3949). The wind is howling out of the south and southeast, mostly straight onshore, and it’s just blown-out, choppy chaos. Honestly, this stretch looks more like a kitesurfer’s playground than a paddle surfer’s dream – the wind and size are just not on for surfing.

We get a little breather on Monday morning the 13th – a small 3 ft SE swell with a clean, moderate northerly offshore. But it’s only a tiny window, and by the afternoon the wind picks up again.

The real standout, the one you want to mark on your calendar, is Thursday the 16th of July. The morning session is looking genuine – an offshore breeze from the north-northeast, 5 ft swell from the southeast with a long 12-second period, and gentle, clean conditions. The combined energy is a solid 772, and the comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s your best bet for a proper surf.

If you’ve got some experience and you like a bit of size, Friday the 17th of July morning is also a cracker. We get a 5 ft SE groundswell with a very long 15-second period, clean offshore wind from the north, and the energy bumps up to 1402. This will have proper power and shape, but at over 5 ft it’s getting a bit much for beginners. That long period will make it better on the point or reef – but Lyall Bay is a beach break, so expect the sets to be a little straight and rarer between lulls. Still, that offshore wind makes it worth it.

The weekend of the 18th and 19th throws in a massive 12 ft southerly groundswell – too big for Lyall Bay, really, with strong onshore winds. Saturday morning is glassy, but the size (12 ft) is just too much for this break.

There’s a final little window on Monday the 20th of July – a clean, moderate offshore with 5 ft from the south and a 10-second period. It’ll be surfable, but nothing that gets the heart racing.

Honestly, don’t waste your energy on this first week. You want clean waves? Thursday the 16th morning is the one. Friday the 17th morning is the other standout if you’ve got the chops for bigger, longer-period groundswell. Crowds are _sometimes_ an issue here, and on a day that good, expect a few locals out.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the N on Sat night, light winds from the ESE by Mon night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 42mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Wed afternoon). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the S on Wed afternoon, strong winds from the S by Fri afternoon).

Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Sat
11
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
E
11
0.3
E
10
0.3
E
10
1.4
SSW
5
3.5
S
8
2.5
SSE
7
2.5
S
9
1.9
S
9
3.5
SE
8
3
SE
8
3
S
7
3.5
S
8
3.5
S
8
4.5
S
9
4.5
SSE
10
4
SSE
9
4
S
9
3
S
8
3
SSE
8
2.5
SSE
10
2.2
SSE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
21
18
18
87
1276
659
1099
614
1774
1018
869
1345
1462
3014
3723
2608
2501
1106
1103
1273
942
Wind (km/h)
50
N
30
N
20
NNW
30
SSE
50
S
40
SE
25
SE
15
SE
35
SSW
30
SSE
40
SSW
25
S
35
SSW
30
S
30
SSE
40
S
40
S
45
S
45
S
40
S
30
S
Wind State
off
off
cross-off
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
High Tide
8:42AM1.45m
9:01PM1.51m
9:26AM1.48m
9:49PM1.53m
10:09AM1.53m
10:36PM1.55m
10:55AM1.58m
11:23PM1.58m
11:44AM1.63m
00:12AM1.61m
12:36PM1.69m
1:04AM1.64m
1:30PM1.75m
Low Tide
2:48AM0.69m
2:42PM0.69m
3:31AM0.67m
3:30PM0.68m
4:13AM0.66m
4:19PM0.67m
4:57AM0.65m
5:09PM0.65m
5:41AM0.63m
6:00PM0.63m
6:26AM0.62m
6:52PM0.61m
7:15AM0.60m
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
light rain
light rain
part cloud
light rain
mod rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
cloud
heavy rain
mod rain
light rain
part cloud
cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:47
7:46
7:46
7:46
7:45
7:45
7:45
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:02
5:04
5:05
5:05
5:06
5:07
5:07
 mm
3
4
2
4
4
1
8
5
3
3
1
13
8
1
Temp °C
12
13
12
10
12
13
13
13
12
12
11
12
12
13
12
11
11
10
10
9
9
Feels °C
3
7
8
6
5
6
10
10
8
5
3
7
6
8
7
4
3
1
0
0
1
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
E
11
0.3
E
10
0.3
E
10
0.3
NW
8
0.2
E
10
0.3
SSW
18
2.5
S
9
1.9
S
9
0.4
SSW
15
0.4
SSW
14
0.8
ESE
10
0.6
E
11
0.6
ESE
10
0.4
SSW
15
0.5
SSW
14
0.2
S
18
2.4
ESE
10
1.4
ESE
10
0.7
ESE
10
0.3
SSW
14
0.4
SSW
17
Energy kJ
21
18
18
11
8
61
1099
614
74
65
131
89
82
92
108
27
1057
363
97
40
100
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
S
16
0.1
S
17
0.1
S
15
0.2
E
10
0.2
S
19
0.1
NW
18
0.4
SSW
16
0.3
SSW
16
0.2
NNW
8
0.1
N
8
0.4
ESE
10
0.1
S
19
0.3
SSW
17
0.4
SSW
15
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
ESE
10
0.2
S
20
0.4
SSW
14
Energy kJ
5
6
5
8
29
12
85
48
7
1
35
7
55
89
118
63
30
80
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
S
10
0.1
NW
10
0.1
NW
10
0.1
S
14
0.1
E
10
0.3
E
11
0.2
NNW
9
0.1
SW
19
0.4
SSW
18
Energy kJ
2
4
4
4
2
20
8
14
104
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.2
NNW
7
1.4
NNW
5
1.1
NNW
5
1.4
SSW
5
3.5
S
8
2.5
SSE
7
1.1
SE
7
1.4
SE
8
3.5
SE
8
3
SE
8
3
S
7
3.5
S
8
3.5
S
8
4.5
S
9
4.5
SSE
10
4
SSE
9
4
S
9
3
S
8
3
SSE
8
2.5
SSE
10
2.2
SSE
10
Energy kJ
513
91
48
87
1276
659
100
248
1774
1018
869
1345
1462
3014
3723
2608
2501
1106
1103
1273
942
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
2
1
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
Distance (km)
64
59
54
110
131
59
25
25
38
110
110
110
59
110
110
195
169
169
169
116
206
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
4
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
5
4
6
4
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
4
5
9
7
5
5
8
7
5
5
9
7
9
5
7
5
5
4
8
4
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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