Lyall Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.33° S 174.80° E

Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 28 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Lyall Bay sea temperature is
12.6° C
0.4° 

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 28 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 1 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, SSW swell with 7,117 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s 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 Tuesday (Jul 28) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 5.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 01) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 7s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6PM (Tue 28th Jul)3.5ft (1.1m) 13s
Best Surf12AM (Sun 2nd Aug)10ft (3.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 9AM (Sat 1st Aug)18ft (5.5m) 11s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for Lyall Bay.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag across the next sixteen days, and we’ve got a long stretch of nothing special to get through first. The real standout is a huge, powerful swell coming in the second week, but it's not for the faint-hearted.

The first real chance we get is this Tuesday morning, the 28th of July. It’s not huge, but boy, it’s clean. We’re looking at a 4ft swell from the ESE with a solid 12-second period, and the wind is a light 6 mph offshore from the north. The water is sitting at 55°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The energy is moderate (561), and it should be a fun session for the beginner-to-intermediate crowd. Lyall Bay can get busy, so expect some company. Tuesday afternoon holds similar with a 4ft ESE swell, but the wind swings to a light cross-off, so it stays clean.

Wednesday the 29th starts with a drop in swell to 3ft, and even though it’s offshore, that wind is howling at 22 mph. It’s hard work to paddle into. By Wednesday afternoon, the wind cranks up to 28 mph, and the swell drops further. The rest of that week into the weekend is a write-off. From Thursday the 30th right through to Sunday the 2nd of August, the swell is tiny, the wind is onshore or howling offshore making it impossible to paddle into. A real blank run.

Now, Monday the 3rd of August offers a glimmer. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the SSE, with a 25 mph offshore wind. It’s clean, but that strong breeze makes it a real battle. The energy is moderate (780). If you’re strong and keen, you could get some, but it’s a work-out.

Then things get wild. On Thursday the 6th of August, a massive S swell rolls in at 18ft with a 14-second period. The combined energy is a staggering 10,318 to 10,666. That is a proper, powerful groundswell. The wind is light and cross-off, so the conditions would be perfect. But here’s the thing – 18ft is way too big for Lyall Bay. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it’s a dangerous proposition. The break is a beach setup, so this long-period swell might just close out and be a washing machine. Honestly, this looks more interesting for the kite surfers than anyone on a paddle board.

That huge swell hangs around, but the wind goes straight onshore and gale-force from Friday the 7th onwards, blowing everything out. The swell stays big (8ft to 16ft) right through until the 10th of August, but it’s all onshore wind and rain. The last few days of the forecast, the 11th and 12th, see the swell drop back down to 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is onshore, leaving it small and choppy.

So, the best on offer? Your clear winner is Tuesday morning, the 28th of July. That 4ft ESE groundswell with clean, light offshore wind is the only truly inviting day in the whole window. The other potential standout is the massive swell on Thursday the 6th of August, but I’d only recommend that to the most experienced chargers who know what they’re getting into. For everyone else, it’s a watch-and-wonder day.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue afternoon, near gales from the NNW by Thu night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 12°C on Fri afternoon, min 6°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SSW on Fri night, light winds from the S by Sun night).

Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
!
0
0
2
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
ESE
12
1.2
ESE
13
1.1
ESE
13
0.9
ESE
13
0.8
ESE
12
0.8
ESE
12
0.6
ESE
12
0.5
ESE
11
0.5
ESE
11
0.4
ESE
11
0.3
SE
16
1.5
SSW
6
5.5
SSW
11
4
S
10
3
S
12
3
S
11
3
S
10
2.3
S
10
1.5
SSE
11
1.3
SSE
11
1
SSE
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
504
437
421
265
172
164
109
74
71
40
38
129
7117
3422
2229
2067
1657
1134
581
427
238
Wind (km/h)
10
N
5
NW
10
NNE
35
N
45
NNW
45
NNW
35
NNW
45
NNW
55
NNW
45
NW
35
WNW
45
S
50
SSW
45
S
10
SW
45
S
50
S
10
S
40
NNW
45
NNW
30
S
Wind State
off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
on
on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
off
cross-off
on
High Tide
3:48PM1.55m
4:20AM1.43m
4:31PM1.53m
5:05AM1.41m
5:16PM1.51m
5:52AM1.41m
6:04PM1.50m
6:40AM1.42m
6:54PM1.50m
7:27AM1.44m
7:46PM1.50m
8:15AM1.48m
8:39PM1.52m
Low Tide
9:34AM0.77m
10:17PM0.76m
10:20AM0.75m
11:06PM0.75m
11:06AM0.73m
11:57PM0.74m
11:52AM0.71m
00:46AM0.72m
12:39PM0.70m
1:33AM0.70m
1:29PM0.68m
2:19AM0.69m
2:21PM0.67m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:33
7:31
7:31
7:30
7:28
7:28
7:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:21
5:22
5:22
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:27
 mm
1
5
4
1
2
Temp °C
9
9
9
10
11
12
12
13
13
11
12
11
7
7
8
6
9
9
11
11
10
Feels °C
6
7
6
2
2
4
5
4
3
2
5
1
-4
-3
0
-5
-1
2
2
1
6
  • 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