Lyall Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Lyall Bay over the next couple of weeks.

The pattern starts slow, but there’s a real gem this coming Monday morning that’s got my attention. The first decent surf doesn’t appear until Tuesday the 28th of July, and we’ve got a few days of clean, manageable waves before the wind turns nasty. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing too unusual.

Tuesday morning the 28th, we’re looking at a clean 4ft swell from the ESE, a solid 12-second period giving it some push. The wind is light from the north, offshore, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is moderate (561). Not huge, but good fun. Afternoon goes glassy with a light NW breeze and a 4ft ESE swell, 13-second period (494 energy). That’s the pick of the first few days.

Wednesday the 29th sees the swell drop to 3ft, but the wind picks up hard from the north at 19 mph, offshore and strong. It’s clean but tough to paddle into. By the afternoon it’s 25 mph from the NNW. Thursday and Friday are written off by howling winds and the swell fading to nothing – 2ft, then 1ft, and the energy drops to 81, then 85. It’s a write-off.

Saturday the 1st of August brings a big, ugly shift. An 8ft SSW swell arrives with a short 7-second period, onshore wind from the south at 31 mph. The energy jumps to 766, but it’s messy. By the afternoon it’s a 13ft SSW swell (2730 energy) with strong onshore wind. That’s only for experts, and even then, it’s a battle. Sunday the 2nd is more of the same – 10ft S swell, onshore, 28-34 mph winds. Kite surfers would be having a field day.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday morning the 3rd of August. The wind drops to nothing – glassy calm – and we’ve got a 5ft SSE swell with an 11-second period. The combined energy is 1054, strong and full of potential. The morning is calm, the waves will be clean and lined up. This is the best on offer in the whole run. The afternoon sees a fresh offshore NNW wind pick up, making it a bit harder to paddle into, but the morning session is the one.

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are back to onshore winds and messy, poor surf – 5ft to 6ft S swell, but the wind is on it. Not worth it.

Thursday the 6th of August is a big one again. An 12ft S swell (2804 energy) with light WSW wind, but the comment says the swell is too big for this break. Friday the 7th morning looks promising with a 8ft S swell (1327 energy) and light WNW cross-offshore wind, but the afternoon brings onshore wind again. The swell then drops off through the weekend, with only a small window on Sunday the 9th: a 6ft S swell, 14-second period, with a gentle offshore NNE breeze (1219 energy). That’s a solid second choice, clean and long-period.

The following week fades out. Monday the 10th is blown out with strong cross-offshore winds, and by Tuesday the 11th the swell is down to 1ft. Wednesday the 12th is barely a ripple.

So, the clear winner is Monday morning the 3rd of August. Glassy, 5ft groundswell, strong energy, and offshore winds. Get it while it’s good.

Rusty.

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