
Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 22s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 21s period, S swell with 6,214 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. 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 2.5m 21s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 22s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – Lyall Bay’s kicking off a bit flat, but there’s a couple of proper windows to keep an eye on.
We start with a real slow patch. The first bit of surf worth paddling out for is a clean, small south-southwest swell on Sunday, 12 July. It’s only 3 feet with a 12-second period, but the wind is light and offshore from the north-northeast, so the lines will be clean. The water’s sitting at 54°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. Don’t expect much power though – the combined energy is only 284 (moderate at best). It’s inconsistent here, and crowds are possible, so keep your eyes peeled.
Monday, 13 July, the wind cranks up from the north-northwest, and the swell drops to 1 feet. That’s a write-off. Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s the same story – tiny, weak swell with strong offshore winds that make it hard to paddle into. The energy numbers are pitiful (12 to 38). Not worth your time.
Thursday, 16 July, the wind swings onshore from the south-southeast, and the swell is tiny and messy. Forget it.
Now, Friday, 17 July – here’s a glimmer. The morning’s a bit dicey with a fresh north-northwest wind, but the afternoon cleans up: light offshore breeze from the northwest, and a 3-foot east-southeast swell with a 16-second period. The energy jumps to 519 (moderate to strong). That’s a nice, clean groundswell for the afternoon. Not a stand-out, but a solid little session.
Saturday, 18 July, gets messy again with onshore winds and a building south-southwest swell that’s too strong for the wind conditions. The energy hits 2065 (strong) but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy – no good for paddling, maybe more for kite surfers.
Sunday, 19 July, the swell is big and clean – 8 feet from the south, period 18 seconds, with a cross-offshore northwesterly. That’s a serious groundswell, but the energy is 3524 (very strong). This is expert territory only. The wind is strong, making it a mission.
Monday, 20 July, the swell drops to 6 feet from the south, but the wind is light onshore. It’s marginal.
Now for the stand-out. Tuesday, 21 July. This is the one. The morning is clean with a light east-northeast cross-offshore breeze, and the swell is 6 feet from the south, 16-second period. The energy is 1642 (strong). Then the afternoon is glassy – no wind at all – with a 7-foot south swell at 15 seconds and energy hitting 2133 (very strong). This is excellent for experienced surfers. The crowd situation is possible, but with conditions this good, you’ll want to be out there. The setup is a beach break, so that long-period groundswell might break a bit straight, but the glassy surface will make up for it.
Wednesday, 22 July, holds good surf too – 4 feet south swell in the morning, building to 6 feet east-southeast in the afternoon, with gentle offshore winds. The energy is 678 to 801 (moderate to strong). A solid follow-up day.
Thursday, 23 July, is similar – 6 feet east-southeast swell, 10-second period, with light offshore winds. Energy at 1197 (strong). Clean and fun.
From Friday, 24 July, the wind picks up again, and the swell drops. The energy fades through the weekend, and by Monday, 27 July, it’s back to flat and onshore. The window closes.
So, bottom line: your best bet is Tuesday, 21 July – glassy, solid south swell for experienced surfers. Friday, 17 July afternoon is a good warm-up. Don’t bother with the rest.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue night, min 7°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Sun morning, strong winds from the NNW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the SSE by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 11 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | E 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 17 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 15 | S 23 | S 21 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
252 | 198 | 100 | 53 | 119 | 48 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 36 | 57 | 144 | 249 | 377 | 382 | 377 | 1244 | 6214 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 2:26PM1.80m | 3:01AM1.65m | 3:22PM1.83m | 4:01AM1.66m | 4:20PM1.85m | 5:00AM1.65m | 5:20PM1.84m | 5:59AM1.65m | 6:20PM1.81m | 6:57AM1.65m | 7:19PM1.77m | 7:54AM1.65m | 8:17PM1.73m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:44PM0.55m | 9:05AM0.55m | 9:44PM0.53m | 10:06AM0.51m | 10:48PM0.52m | 11:06AM0.48m | 11:52PM0.50m | 12:05PM0.45m | 00:53AM0.49m | 1:04PM0.44m | 1:50AM0.49m | 2:02PM0.46m | 2:44AM0.51m | ||||||||
7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NW 5 | ESE 14 | S 5 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 15 | S 23 | S 21 |
252 | 198 | 100 | 47 | 119 | 48 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 26 | 23 | 7 | 36 | 7 | 144 | 249 | 377 | 382 | 377 | 1244 | 6214 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSW 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | S 8 | E 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 17 | SSE 4 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SE 13 |
32 | 26 | 17 | 53 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 23 | 57 | 4 | 40 | 116 | 65 | 42 | 413 | 180 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 15 | ESE 9 | — | ENE 5 | — | S 12 | E 13 | S 8 | NW 16 | ESE 13 | NW 5 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 14 | S 19 | SE 14 | — |
— | — | 21 | 17 | — | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 22 | 57 | 20 | 26 | 37 | 64 | 293 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 3 | NW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 5 | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | — | SSW 10 | S 6 | — |
— | — | 6 | 77 | 124 | 197 | 124 | 188 | 171 | 87 | 67 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 18 | 10 | — | 144 | 115 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 38 | 38 | 59 | 59 | 108 | 108 | 108 | 77 | 59 | 3 | 59 | 38 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 54 | 110 | 59 | 38 |
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.










