Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Lyall Bay. It’s been a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The first real surf we get is a short window this Saturday morning, August 8th. The swell is coming from the south at 5ft, with a period of 11 seconds, giving us a moderate wave energy of 607. The wind is howling out of the NNW at 22 mph, which is offshore and clean, so it’s surfable, but the report says it’s marginal. The water temp is sitting at 55°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Saturday afternoon stays much the same, with the wind easing a bit to 19 mph, still offshore and clean. The swell drops a touch on Sunday morning, August 9th, to 3ft from the south, with a period of 10 seconds and energy down to 330. The wind swings around to the NNE at 19 mph, still offshore and clean, but again, it’s just a marginal surf. Sunday afternoon turns clear but the wind goes cross-offshore, and the surf is poor.

Then we hit a bit of a quiet patch. Monday and Tuesday are mostly onshore winds and smaller, weaker swell. The real highlight of the whole outlook is Tuesday afternoon, August 11th. The swell is 4ft from the SSE, with a period of 11 seconds and a combined energy of 316. The wind goes totally glassy, zero from the WNW. That’s a major positive. It’s the only time in the forecast where we get a decent score for good surf conditions. It’s a small, clean window, but it’s the best on offer. The break is a beach break, so with that long period you might find the sets a bit straight, but with glassy conditions you’ll take it.

After that, things get ordinary again with small, weak swell and onshore winds through the middle of the week. Then, from August 15th, the swell really starts to pump. We’re looking at 12ft from the SSW on Saturday morning, August 15th, with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is massive at 1511. But the problem is the wind is onshore from the south at 12 mph, and the report says the swell is too big for this break. It’s a similar story for the next few days with huge swell, often over 10ft and sometimes up to 16ft, but the wind is junk – onshore or cross-onshore, and often strong. For a beach break like Lyall Bay, this setup is going to be pretty ugly. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The light at the end of the tunnel comes on Wednesday morning, August 19th. The swell drops back to a solid 8ft from the south, with an 11-second period and a strong energy of 1270. The wind goes glassy again from the south at only 3 mph. This is the second standout window. The report says “expect very good surf conditions,” which is the best rating we see. That 8ft is getting into expert territory, and with glassy conditions, it’ll be a proper session for the experienced crew. The wind holds for the afternoon but gets a little cross-onshore.

The window closes again on the 20th with onshore winds and big swell, then things start to settle down towards the end of the outlook. The 22nd of August offers a clean, cross-offshore wind with a 4ft south swell, which is a decent, fun-sized wave for the weekend.

So, the pick of the bunch is that glassy Tuesday afternoon on the 11th of August for a small, clean session, and the glassy Wednesday morning on the 19th of August for the bigger, more powerful stuff. Keep an eye on the long-range forecast for the 19th, but it’s promising.

- Rusty

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