Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, S swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, S swell with 3,305 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what's happening at Lyall Bay over the next couple of weeks.
We start off slow. Friday the 11th has poor conditions with a tiny 2ft SSW swell and a strong 22 mph NNW wind. The water is around 56°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for the season, but there's nothing worth paddling out for.
Saturday morning the 12th brings a bigger 5ft SSW swell (955 combined energy), but the wind is onshore and messy. By Saturday afternoon, we get a powerful 10ft S swell out of the south with a 13 second period and a 6 mph onshore southerly. That's big, raw power (2848 combined energy), but it's likely too much for this spot—keep it for the experts only.
Sunday the 13th is messy with onshore winds. Monday the 14th is the first real standout. The morning will be firing with a solid 6ft S swell, 12 second period, and clean north offshore winds at 12 mph (895 combined energy). Expect very good surf conditions. The afternoon stays clean with a 5ft wave and moderate offshore winds. This is your window.
After that, Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th see the swell drop off quickly and winds pick up, making things weak and blown out. There's a gap of poor days.
Then Thursday the 17th afternoon offers a glassy moment with a small 4ft S swell, but the period is short at 7 seconds, so the waves will be weak and crumbly. Not a highlight.
The next real standout is Saturday the 19th. The morning has a strong 8ft S swell, 8 second period, and 19 mph north offshore winds (1861 combined energy). It's big and powerful, likely too much for beginners, but for experienced surfers, the offshore wind will make for some clean, hollow walls. The afternoon stays big and clean.
As we head further out, Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st are too windy to enjoy—strong breezes and onshore winds ruin the shape.
Now for the long-range bit. Thursday the 24th looks promising with a solid 10ft S swell (2580 combined energy) and clean north offshore winds. But again, 10ft is expert territory here. If you're a charger, circle this date.
Friday the 25th sees the biggest swell of the period: a massive 13ft SSW groundswell with a 12 second period (7660 combined energy!) and clean north offshore winds. This is heavy, powerful, and only for the very experienced. It might even be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing given the size and energy.
Saturday the 26th has similar size but with near gale-force offshore winds (34 mph), making it very hard to paddle into and only for the most hardcore.
All up, the best days for a normal surf are Monday the 14th for clean, manageable waves, and Saturday the 19th for bigger, punchy surf if you've got the skills. The huge swells later on are only for experts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NNW on Fri morning, calm by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the NNW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 4 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 237 | 229 | 243 | 838 | 2848 | 2499 | 1080 | 710 | 930 | 895 | 632 | 347 | 228 | 149 | 78 | 23 | 17 | 7 | 435 | 150 | 52 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:43PM1.67m | 5:15AM1.59m | 5:39PM1.64m | 6:10AM1.60m | 6:35PM1.62m | 7:04AM1.62m | 7:30PM1.60m | 7:56AM1.64m | 8:22PM1.59m | 8:44AM1.64m | 9:11PM1.58m | 9:31AM1.63m | 9:57PM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:29AM0.49m | 11:04PM0.59m | 11:28AM0.51m | 00:02AM0.62m | 12:25PM0.55m | 00:56AM0.64m | 1:21PM0.59m | 1:46AM0.67m | 2:16PM0.63m | 2:35AM0.69m | 3:10PM0.66m | 3:22AM0.70m | 3:59PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 4 | SSW 13 | S 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 72 | 229 | 243 | 838 | 2848 | 2499 | 1080 | 710 | 930 | 895 | 632 | 347 | 228 | 149 | 78 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 35 | 150 | 52 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | S 6 | NW 6 | S 7 | — | — | NE 12 | S 21 | — | — | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 7 | NW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 237 | 20 | 5 | 113 | — | — | 6 | 9 | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 2 | 17 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | — | — | S 8 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNW 5 | S 4 | — | — | — | NW 3 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | — | SSW 7 | — | NW 5 |
| kJ | 3 | 88 | 9 | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 13 | 52 | 56 | 485 | 540 | — | 435 | — | 73 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 38 | 59 | 59 | 6 | 59 | 38 | 25 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 41 | 59 | 88 | 151 | 54 | 59 | 0 | 59 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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