
Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, S swell with 9,617 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 10s period with S 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 Wednesday (Aug 12) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lyall Bay in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's see what's on the card for Lyall Bay.
Honestly, looking at the full 16-day window, it's a real mixed bag. We've got a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions to start, with a few brief windows of potential, but the standout session is a bit of a tricky one. The water temp is sitting at 54°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing too wild on that front.
The first bit of surf we can even talk about is Wednesday the 12th. It's small, with a 3ft SE swell, but a measly 7-second period. The wind is a light cross-off from the NE, so the surface is clean, but it's pretty weak energy (135) and honestly, just a very ordinary day. Not worth getting excited about.
Thursday the 13th is even smaller. The morning sees a 1ft SSE swell with a 9-second period, and while the wind is offshore from the N, it's a moderate breeze at 12 mph. The energy is gone (67). Afternoon is the same story, just smaller. Nothing doing.
Friday the 14th through to Sunday the 16th is a dead zone. We're talking tiny waves, onshore winds, and a lot of poor surf conditions. Saturday the 15th afternoon gets a bump in energy to 174 with a 4ft SSW swell, but the wind is howling onshore at 19 mph, making it a total mess. Sunday the 16th morning sees a big jump in energy (1297) with a 10ft S swell, but again, onshore winds at 22 mph ruin it. That's kite-surfing territory, not for a paddle board.
The first real flicker of hope comes Monday the 17th afternoon. The wind swings to a light cross-off from the NW at 6 mph, and the swell jumps to a clean 6ft from the S with a 9-second period. The energy is solid (722) and the conditions are described as "clean". This is a good, solid option for a surf. It's not huge, but it's rideable and clean.
Now, the one that will get your attention is Wednesday the 19th. The forecast shows a massive 13ft S groundswell with a very long 16-second period. The wind is a gentle offshore from the NNW. The energy reading is astronomical (8935). However – and this is a big however – the report says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is for experts only, and even then, it's a beast. That long period will make it punchy. It's a standout in terms of power, but you have to be a serious charger to even think about it. The afternoon is similar, still huge.
Thursday the 20th is the best of the bunch for the average surfer. The morning brings a 7ft S swell with a 12-second period, and a moderate offshore wind from the N at 12 mph. The energy is strong (1351) and the conditions are described as "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers". This is your pick. The swell is solid, the wind is clean, and the period is long enough to give it some shape. The afternoon is very similar, just a touch smaller at 7ft. This is the stand-out session.
After that, it's all downhill. From Friday the 21st onwards, the wind gets howling again (strong breeze from the NNW), the swell drops off, and the conditions are poor. There's a long gap of nothing worthwhile from the 21st through to the end of the outlook on the 27th. The second week is a write-off.
So, bottom line: if you're keen, you've got a good window on the 17th afternoon, but the real prize is the 20th. Thursday the 20th is your day. The wind is right, the swell is solid, and it's going to be clean. The 19th is for the big-wave crew only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat morning, min 7°C on Sun afternoon). Winds decreasing (near gales from the S on Sat night, light winds from the WSW by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 5 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 15 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
94 | 57 | 53 | 32 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 50 | 80 | 1157 | 1159 | 513 | 163 | 225 | 492 | 257 | 130 | 335 | 4827 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | glassy | on | glassy | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:02PM1.77m | 4:39AM1.60m | 5:01PM1.75m | 5:37AM1.60m | 6:00PM1.72m | 6:34AM1.61m | 6:58PM1.68m | 7:30AM1.63m | 7:55PM1.65m | 8:23AM1.64m | 8:49PM1.63m | 9:14AM1.65m | 9:40PM1.61m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:45AM0.47m | 10:24PM0.51m | 10:46AM0.45m | 11:28PM0.53m | 11:45AM0.45m | 00:28AM0.54m | 12:44PM0.47m | 1:24AM0.56m | 1:42PM0.51m | 2:17AM0.58m | 2:40PM0.55m | 3:08AM0.61m | 3:35PM0.59m | ||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSW 4 | ESE 7 | SSW 15 | ESE 13 | S 15 | S 14 | S 7 | SSW 15 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | — |
94 | 57 | 53 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 76 | 17 | 115 | 107 | 163 | 225 | 492 | 257 | 130 | 335 | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SSE 9 | ESE 7 | SSW 16 | ESE 8 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | E 8 | SSW 12 | ESE 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | — |
22 | 51 | 46 | 32 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 50 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 61 | 22 | 210 | 133 | 81 | 46 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SE 13 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SE 11 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | SSW 15 | E 8 | ESE 14 | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 13 | — |
19 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 16 | 6 | 75 | 5 | 20 | 28 | 17 | 7 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | E 6 | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | — | SSW 4 | — | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | — | S 7 | — | — | — | — | S 12 |
1 | 71 | 1 | 15 | 21 | 3 | — | 11 | — | 1 | 80 | 1157 | 1159 | 513 | — | 188 | — | — | — | — | 4827 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 25 | 116 | 151 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 59 | 0 | 77 | 63 | 116 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











