Lyall Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.33° S 174.80° E

Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lyall Bay sea temperature is
11.3°C
0.6° 

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 24 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, S swell with 5,893 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. 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 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 7s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12PM (Thu 27th Aug)6ft (1.9m) 17s
Best Surf12PM (Mon 31st Aug)11ft (3.5m) 13s
Most Powerful 6PM (Mon 31st Aug)13ft (4.0m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what Lyall Bay’s got cooking over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the first few days are pretty ordinary. Tuesday morning (25 August) is a write-off – 25 mph nor’westers and only 3 ft of southerly swell with 421 (moderate) energy – it’s messy. The whole of Tuesday and Wednesday stays bleak; winds are up and the swell is small and weak, barely scraping 300 energy units. Wednesday morning (26 August) has a brief moment with 3 ft SSW swell and a 15-second period, but 19 mph offshore winds make it a tough paddle. Not worth getting excited about.

Thursday 27 August is where things start to turn. The morning is a bit average – 6 ft SSW groundswell with a 17-second period, but a light cross-shore Easterly makes it a bit lumpy. The afternoon, though, is the first real standout. You’ve got 6 ft southerly swell, 15-second period, combined energy of 1688 (strong), and a light offshore breeze from the NNE. That’s clean, lined-up, and for experienced surfers only – this is the best session in the first week.

Friday 28 August gets ruined by a near gale – 34 mph offshore winds make it nearly impossible to paddle into the 4 ft swell. Saturday and Sunday stay small and weak, with energy dropping below 250. Sunday morning (30 August) has a pathetic 4 ft six-second windswell – 105 energy (weak) and ordinary conditions.

Now, Monday 31 August morning is another cracker. 6 ft southerly swell, 14-second period, combined energy at 1340 (strong), and a light offshore cross-wind. Clean, powerful, and again, one for the experienced crew. The afternoon turns ugly with 16 mph southerly onshore and 12 ft of messy swell – too big and blown out.

Tuesday 1 September stays decent but only for seasoned surfers: 8 ft southerly sets, 12-second period, strong 2120 energy, but 22 mph north offshores make it a battle to get out. Wednesday and Thursday are a write-off – gale-force winds and big, onshore slop.

The second week gets interesting. Friday 4 September morning delivers an excellent window: 7 ft southerly groundswell, 14-second period, 1604 energy, and a gentle 9 mph offshore breeze. Clean, powerful, and for experts only. Saturday 5 September is smaller – 4 ft SSW swell with 503 energy – but light offshores make for a clean, user-friendly session. Conditions fade from Sunday 6 September onward, with tiny 1.0 ft SSW swell and near gale winds through to Tuesday 8 September. The final day, Wednesday 9 September, sees a 7 ft SSW pulse with 1090 energy, but 28 mph cross-off winds ruin it.

Best on offer: Thursday 27 August afternoon and Monday 31 August morning are the true standouts – both clean, strong, and long-period. For the second week, Friday 4 September morning is the pick, but it’s less certain this far out.

Lyall Bay is a fairly exposed beach break, and the water temp is about average for this time of year – nothing weird going on. This spot can get crowded, so expect company on the good days. The long-period groundswells (over 15 seconds) will be better shaped but can break a bit straight on the beach; keep that in mind.

No kite surfing calls here – the good days are pure paddle surfing.

Stay frothy,
Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Mon night, light winds from the E by Thu morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu night, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the NNW on Fri morning, light winds from the NNW by Sat night).

Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
4
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SSW
12
1
S
11
0.6
SSW
14
0.9
SSW
15
0.8
SSW
15
0.8
SSW
14
1.2
SSW
17
1.7
SSW
17
1.9
S
15
1.5
S
13
1.2
S
12
0.9
S
12
0.9
S
11
0.9
S
11
0.9
S
10
0.6
S
10
1.1
S
6
0.3
SSE
9
0.4
SSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
418
242
165
355
288
250
888
1790
1654
759
416
229
203
185
168
71
88
16
58
Wind (km/h)
35
NNW
40
NW
30
NNW
30
N
30
NNW
40
NW
30
SSE
10
E
10
NNE
30
N
55
N
55
NNW
40
NW
40
NNW
35
NNW
15
NNW
15
N
40
NNW
10
NNE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
on
cross
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
2:09AM1.44m
2:27PM1.54m
2:54AM1.42m
3:09PM1.52m
3:39AM1.41m
3:54PM1.51m
4:26AM1.41m
4:42PM1.51m
5:15AM1.43m
5:34PM1.51m
6:06AM1.46m
6:28PM1.52m
Low Tide
8:07AM0.73m
8:46PM0.71m
8:51AM0.72m
9:30PM0.72m
9:38AM0.71m
10:20PM0.72m
10:28AM0.70m
11:15PM0.73m
11:19AM0.69m
00:10AM0.72m
12:13PM0.68m
1:01AM0.71m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:56
6:56
6:54
6:52
6:50
6:48
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:52
5:52
5:53
 mm
2
1
1
4
Temp °C
12
14
14
13
14
14
14
9
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
12
12
13
12
Feels °C
4
7
8
8
7
7
8
6
9
8
2
4
4
6
6
7
4
4
9
  • 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