
Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 19s period, S swell with 4,097 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s 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 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 2.4m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Lyall Bay.
We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag ahead. The first decent window is on Sunday morning, 19 July. The water’s sitting at 53.4°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. There’s a solid 5.2ft SSW groundswell pushing in with a long period of 16 seconds, and the combined energy is a hefty 1385 (moderate wave energy). The wind is glassy out of the SE at just 3 mph, which means it’ll be clean as a whistle. This is a standout for experienced surfers – that long period will make for some proper shaped waves, but it might be a bit much for beginners at over 5ft. The swell is coming from the SSW, right on the money for this spot. Keep in mind, Lyall Bay is inconsistent, so when it’s on, it’s worth jumping on.
Monday morning, 20 July, still has some size at 5.9ft from the S with a 14-second period, but the wind has swung to a cross-onshore ESE at 6 mph, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The combined energy jumps to 1894 (moderate wave energy), but the quality drops off. Monday afternoon gets even bigger at 7.9ft from the S with a 19-second period, and the energy goes through the roof at 4152 (strong wave energy), but that cross-onshore wind at 9 mph will make it choppy and messy. Only for the keen.
Tuesday morning, 21 July, looks promising with a clean 5.6ft S swell and a 14-second period, combined energy of 1112 (moderate wave energy). The wind is offshore out of the N at 16 mph, so the waves will be groomed and tidy. That offshore wind is a major positive. The swell is still over 5ft, so it’s not for novices, but for the experienced crew, this is a solid call.
After Tuesday, things drop away fast. Wednesday 22 July has a tiny 3.6ft S swell, and the wind is onshore, so it’s a write-off. There’s a long gap from Thursday 24 July through to Monday 27 July where the swell is either too small, too windy, or completely blown out. The wind howls from the NW and NNW, hitting 31 mph at one point, and the swell shrinks to 0.7ft on Friday 24 July. That period is a total bust.
Then on Monday 27 July, a massive 13.1ft SSW swell rolls in with a 10-second period, but the wind is a nasty cross-onshore SS at 22 mph, making it lumpy and dangerous. The energy is huge at 3221 (strong wave energy), but it’s not surfable for paddling – more of a kite-surfing show if anything.
Tuesday 28 July sees another big 9.8ft S swell with a 13-second period, and this time the wind is offshore from the N at 19 mph. The waves will be clean, but it’s over 8.2ft, so strictly for experts only. The combined energy is 2610 (strong wave energy). The same goes for Sunday 2 August and Monday 3 August, where the swell hits 13.1ft and 18ft respectively, with clean offshore winds – but these are massive, dangerous waves for paddle-in surfing. The energy on 2 August afternoon is an insane 16384 (very strong wave energy). That’s big, raw power.
The best overall bet? Sunday morning, 19 July at Lyall Bay. That 5.2ft SSW groundswell with glassy conditions and a long period is the standout session in the whole 16-day window. Tuesday morning, 21 July, is a close second with clean offshore winds and a solid 5.6ft swell. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big for comfort.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu night, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, near gales from the NNW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 19 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 9 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SE 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1210 | 1088 | 1505 | 1225 | 4097 | 2105 | 1081 | 782 | 497 | 311 | 147 | 144 | 56 | 54 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 94 | 83 | 156 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | on | on | glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 9:14PM1.69m | 9:40AM1.66m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:01PM0.49m | 3:37AM0.53m | 3:59PM0.54m | 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 | ||||||||
7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | |
— | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 11 | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 |
Feels °C | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 19 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSE 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 |
1210 | 1088 | 1505 | 1225 | 4097 | 2105 | 1081 | 782 | 497 | 311 | 147 | 144 | 56 | 54 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 94 | 83 | 156 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | S 19 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | S 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSW 8 | SSE 9 | SE 13 | SE 14 | SE 17 |
175 | 170 | 99 | 598 | 55 | 50 | 31 | 31 | 24 | 11 | 70 | 30 | 35 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 32 | 143 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 19 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | SE 11 | — | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
— | — | 74 | 71 | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 25 | 84 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 |
— | 50 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | 15 | 119 | 240 | 340 | 89 | 195 | 117 | 319 | 365 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 110 | 27 | 11 | 126 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 43 | 0 | 38 | 59 | 139 | 131 | 302 | 126 | 54 | 126 | 88 |
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.










