Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Lyall Bay.

Right now, the 16-day window starts off with a bit of a gap. There’s nothing worth getting out of bed for until at least Monday the 7th, and even then it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at a whole week of solid, stormy southerly swell with heavy onshore winds. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

From Sunday the 6th through to Monday the 13th, the swell is just too big and messy – we’re talking 10 ft to 15 ft of southerly windswell with short, weak periods and combined wave energy readings in the thousands (1035 to 3949). The wind is howling out of the south and southeast, mostly straight onshore, and it’s just blown-out, choppy chaos. Honestly, this stretch looks more like a kitesurfer’s playground than a paddle surfer’s dream – the wind and size are just not on for surfing.

We get a little breather on Monday morning the 13th – a small 3 ft SE swell with a clean, moderate northerly offshore. But it’s only a tiny window, and by the afternoon the wind picks up again.

The real standout, the one you want to mark on your calendar, is Thursday the 16th of July. The morning session is looking genuine – an offshore breeze from the north-northeast, 5 ft swell from the southeast with a long 12-second period, and gentle, clean conditions. The combined energy is a solid 772, and the comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s your best bet for a proper surf.

If you’ve got some experience and you like a bit of size, Friday the 17th of July morning is also a cracker. We get a 5 ft SE groundswell with a very long 15-second period, clean offshore wind from the north, and the energy bumps up to 1402. This will have proper power and shape, but at over 5 ft it’s getting a bit much for beginners. That long period will make it better on the point or reef – but Lyall Bay is a beach break, so expect the sets to be a little straight and rarer between lulls. Still, that offshore wind makes it worth it.

The weekend of the 18th and 19th throws in a massive 12 ft southerly groundswell – too big for Lyall Bay, really, with strong onshore winds. Saturday morning is glassy, but the size (12 ft) is just too much for this break.

There’s a final little window on Monday the 20th of July – a clean, moderate offshore with 5 ft from the south and a 10-second period. It’ll be surfable, but nothing that gets the heart racing.

Honestly, don’t waste your energy on this first week. You want clean waves? Thursday the 16th morning is the one. Friday the 17th morning is the other standout if you’ve got the chops for bigger, longer-period groundswell. Crowds are _sometimes_ an issue here, and on a day that good, expect a few locals out.

Rusty.

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