Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let's have a look at what's on the cards for Lyall Bay. I'll be straight with you – we're in for a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with a solid run of good conditions coming up, but also some serious size that'll be for the experienced crew only.

The first few days are a write-off, to be honest. Thursday and Friday are seeing strong cross-off winds, with some tiny swell that's just not worth paddling out for. The energy is weak (81 to 134), and the conditions are just poor. A bit of a frustrating start, but it's the calm before the storm.

Then we get a big shift. Saturday the 1st of August sees a huge jump in swell, with a 16ft to 15ft SSW to S swell rolling in. The combined energy is massive (4977 to 5495), but the wind is howling straight onshore from the south at 25 to 28 mph. That's going to be a messy, blown-out beast. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on that day.

Now, Sunday the 2nd of August is where it starts to get interesting. The swell drops to a much more manageable 7ft in the morning from the SSE, with a solid 11-second period. The wind is light cross-on in the morning, but by the afternoon it swings to a gentle offshore from the NNW. That afternoon session is looking clean with good energy (938), and a 6ft SSE swell. This is a promising window for a decent surf. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Monday the 3rd of August is a real standout. The swell drops a bit more to 4ft from the S in the morning, but the wind is light offshore from the N. The afternoon is even better with a moderate offshore breeze from the NNE and a 3ft S swell. The energy is moderate (500-610), and the conditions are clean. The crowd profile here is "sometimes", so you might have a few mates out, but it's a solid bet for a fun session.

Tuesday the 4th of August is for experts only. We get a massive 16ft S swell with a 13-second period, but the combined energy is a whopping 7559. The wind is onshore, but the forecast says the tide and wind are favorable - the problem is the swell is just too big for this break. It's a very powerful, dangerous day. The afternoon stays big and messy.

There's a bit of a lull from Wednesday the 5th through to Friday the 8th, with onshore winds and generally poor conditions, though Wednesday afternoon has a 7ft S swell with a light onshore wind that could be fun for the more experienced.

The real gem in the second week is Thursday the 6th of August. The morning is absolutely glassy with a light easterly breeze, a 6ft SSE swell, and a combined energy of 1109. The conditions are described as "glassy," which is about as good as it gets for clean waves. The swell period is a nice 11 seconds, so you'll get good shaped waves with some energy. This is the one to circle.

Friday the 7th of August sees another spike in size, with a 10ft to 12ft swell, but it's a short-period swell (7-8 seconds), which is a bit junky and again, pretty big. The wind is light, but it's still a challenging day.

From the 8th of August through to the 12th, we get a long, poor run of big onshore swell and rain. The wind is howling from the south or SSE, and the swell is in the 7ft to 10ft range with short periods. It's a write-off.

Finally, we get a bit of a reprieve on Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th of August. A gentle offshore breeze from the NNE and NNW returns, with a 4ft to 3ft swell from the ESE. The periods are decent (12-13 seconds), but the energy is low (233-405). It's a small, clean end to the outlook, good for a longboard or a fun log.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is the afternoon of Sunday the 2nd of August for a clean, fun-sized swell, and the glassy morning of Thursday the 6th of August is an absolute standout. The rest of the window is a mix of too big, too windy, or too small.

Rusty.

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