Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Lyall Bay has cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, so we gotta pick our moments.

The outlook kicks off Sunday the 13th of September with some solid energy from the south, but the wind's a bit average. The combined energy of the swell is strong (1080) but Sunday morning's got a cross-onshore breeze messin' it up, so it’s not the cleanest. Sunday afternoon gets worse with a choppy onshore.

Now, Monday the 14th looks tidy. The morning has a light cross-offshore breeze and the swell holds at 6ft from the south with a nice 12-second period. The energy is still strong (911), and it's clean. That's a good chance for a session. The afternoon goes to a gentle offshore at 5ft, also clean. That Monday is your best early call.

Tuesday the 15th drops off quick. Swell backs right down to under 3ft, and even though the wind is offshore, the energy is weak (270 and then 175). Not worth paddlin' out for.

From Wednesday the 16th all the way through to Friday the 18th, it's pretty flat. Swell heights stay below 3ft and the energy is weak – we're talking values around 47 to 282. There’s a blip on Friday afternoon with a 3ft SE swell and a 12-second period, but it's nothin' special.

Now, I gotta flag Saturday the 19th. The data is showing a big pulse of south swell hitting 10ft, with glassy conditions in the morning and a moderate offshore in the arvo. The combined energy is massive (1101 and 1296). But here's the thing – 10ft is too big for Lyall Bay for the average punter. That is expert-only territory, and even then, the short 7 to 8-second period on that size will make it a chaotic, close-out mess. The score says wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break.

After that, we go into a long, scrappy run. Sunday the 20th through to Monday the 21st has small, weak swell (2ft to 4ft) with onshore or strong offshore winds that don't help. Tuesday the 22nd gets a big dose of southerly gale-force wind and a 10ft onshore mess – not for surfing.

Wednesday the 23rd of September shows some promise again, but it's a long way out. A 5ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period and light cross-shore wind. By the afternoon, it's 5ft with an offshore breeze and a 16-second period, producing strong energy (1043) and clean conditions. That would be worth a look, but it's a week and a half away, so keep an eye on it.

The rest of the run into the end of September is mostly tiny, weak, and windswept. The occasional clean-looking window (like Friday the 25th afternoon) is only 5ft but with a short 6-second period, so it'll lack punch.

So, bottom line: for the first week, your best bet is Monday the 14th. The swell is a solid 6ft from the south, combined energy is strong (911), and the offshore breeze will have it clean. For the second week, the one standout to watch is Wednesday the 23rd – a bigger (5ft), long-period SSW groundswell with clean-offshore winds, but it's a long-range call, so don't book the day off work just yet. Given the size of the 19th (10ft), that's one for the big-wave crew only, if anyone.

It's not a classic run for Lyall Bay, but there are windows. Stay patient.

- Rusty

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