Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 21s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 22s period, S swell with 3,189 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period with ESE 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. 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 1.8m 22s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 22s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into what’s coming our way at Lyall Bay.
Alright, so Lyall Bay’s been pretty quiet, but there’s a nice window of solid, clean surf that starts to build Friday morning and should have you smiling through to Tuesday. The swell energy really kicks in, with readings climbing from a moderate 514 up to a very strong 3531 later in the weekend, so there’s plenty of push in the water.
The real standout for the next few days is Sunday morning, July 19th. The water temp is sitting at about average for this time of year at 53°, and the wind goes glassy – absolute glass – out of the SE at only 3 mph. You get a clean, well-shaped 5 ft SSW swell with a nice long 16-second period, packing some serious energy (1540). This is quality groundswell, likely peeling nicely, and with those conditions, it’s an excellent window for experienced surfers.
Right after that, Sunday afternoon stays just as clean with a glassy NNW breeze, dropping a touch to a still very fun 5 ft S swell. The crowds at Lyall Bay can be an issue sometimes, so get on it early Sunday. The combo of light wind and that long-period energy is as good as it gets here.
The run of clean conditions continues into Monday morning, July 20th, with a light cross-onshore SSW breeze and a 5 ft S swell, but the quality is not quite as pure as Sunday. Then Tuesday morning and afternoon, July 21st, bring another fantastic window. Tuesday morning has light cross-offshore NNE winds and a punchy 6 ft S swell (1481 energy), and Tuesday afternoon turns fully offshore with a clean N breeze and a 5 ft S swell – both excellent for experienced surfers, though the wind picks up a notch in the afternoon.
Things get rough from late Monday into Wednesday with strong onshore winds and messy surf. For the rest of the month it’s mostly a write-off with howling winds, though late in the month on Sunday, July 26th, a big 12 ft S swell rolls in with light winds. That is for absolute experts only, and if it’s too lined up for the beach break, it may be more of a challenge than a treat.
So, the best of the best is Sunday the 19th, and then Tuesday the 21st. Don’t sleep on it.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Mon afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | SSW 15 | ESE 15 | S 24 | S 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 18 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 52 | 147 | 284 | 639 | 387 | 404 | 3189 | 2274 | 1365 | 1046 | 1108 | 933 | 1465 | 2092 | 1450 | 861 | 874 | 554 | 425 | 300 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | off | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | off | off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:20PM1.81m | 6:57AM1.65m | 7:19PM1.77m | 7:54AM1.65m | 8:17PM1.73m | 8:48AM1.66m | 9:14PM1.69m | 9:40AM1.66m | 10:08PM1.66m | 10:31AM1.66m | 10:58PM1.63m | 11:21AM1.65m | 11:46PM1.60m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:53AM0.49m | 1:04PM0.44m | 1:50AM0.49m | 2:02PM0.46m | 2:44AM0.51m | 3:01PM0.49m | 3:37AM0.53m | 3:59PM0.54m | 4:27AM0.57m | 4:53PM0.58m | 5:15AM0.61m | 5:45PM0.63m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — |
 | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | S 7 | S 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | ESE 14 | S 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 13 | S 19 | S 18 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 14 | 83 | 230 | 639 | 373 | 362 | 3189 | 2274 | 1365 | 1046 | 1108 | 933 | 700 | 2092 | 1450 | 861 | 874 | 554 | 425 | 300 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SSW 10 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | S 17 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | NNW 5 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 52 | 147 | 284 | 392 | 387 | 184 | 342 | 229 | 175 | 170 | 99 | 71 | 55 | 50 | 31 | 481 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | — | — | — | S 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 12 | — | — | ESE 11 | — | SE 11 | ESE 11 | — |
| kJ | 22 | 41 | — | — | — | 404 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | 24 | — | 30 | 11 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | — | — | — | NNW 4 | — | — | NNW 4 | S 3 | S 13 | S 7 | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 3 | S 4 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 12 | — | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 11 | 5 | 1465 | 188 | — | — | 10 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 110 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 38 | 0 |
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.
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