Surf Forecasts:
Lyall Bay surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 21 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, S swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, S swell with 8,677 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 12s period with SE 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 6s. 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 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Mon 21st Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lyall Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, the outlook for the region. Let’s be honest, it’s a grim start with very little to get excited about for the next week. Most of the time there’s either not enough swell or the wind is howling, so you’ll be sitting on the beach watching the flags stand straight out. There is a glimmer of hope right at the very end of the forecast, but it’s a long wait.
The first real chance for a surf is a brief window on Friday the 18th of September. After a messy morning with onshore winds and a raw 6ft S swell, the afternoon cleans right up. The wind goes glassy out of the SSW, and there’s a small clean 2ft wave with a long 12-second period, and a combined swell energy of 282 (moderate). It’s not big, but it will be glassy and tidy. This is a good chance for the beginners at Lyall Bay, as the size is very friendly. Not a standout, but it’s the best of a bad lot early on.
Then we get smashed. The weekend looks wild with huge, dangerous swell. Sunday the 20th of September is a write-off with a massive 16ft SSW swell and storm-force southerly winds sending the combined swell energy to a staggering 4832 (very strong). That’s not surfing, that’s survival. Even the following Monday morning the 21st of September has a 10ft S swell, and it’s noted as being too big for this break, even with clean offshore winds. That’s expert territory only.
The real standout hangs way out at the end of the forecast period. On the morning of Thursday the 1st of October, Lyall Bay (Wellington) shows real promise. A clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period rolls in, with a combined energy of 417 (moderate) and clean offshore winds from the north. The wind will be moderate, but that offshore flow will groom it into shape. The long period means it’ll have proper power for its size, though at a beach break it can wall up and close out a bit, so watch for the sets. The water temp is about normal for the time of year. This is the pick of the entire run. It’s a long way off, so keep your fingers crossed the forecast holds.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NNW on Wed morning, calm by Fri afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Fri night, near gales from the S by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 8 | SSW 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSW 14 | SE 10 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 37 | 24 | 43 | 27 | 41 | 35 | 600 | 295 | 144 | 99 | 264 | 204 | 110 | 2081 | 4808 | 7244 | 1996 | 808 | 404 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | on | on | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | on | off | off | off |
High Tide | 8:44AM1.64m | 9:11PM1.58m | 9:31AM1.63m | 9:57PM1.57m | 10:16AM1.61m | 10:39PM1.55m | 11:00AM1.58m | 11:20PM1.52m | 11:43AM1.56m | 00:00AM1.49m | 12:25PM1.54m | 00:42AM1.46m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:35AM0.69m | 3:10PM0.66m | 3:22AM0.70m | 3:59PM0.68m | 4:08AM0.72m | 4:45PM0.68m | 4:51AM0.72m | 5:28PM0.67m | 5:31AM0.72m | 6:07PM0.67m | 6:09AM0.71m | 6:46PM0.66m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | -2 | -2 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSW 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | NNW 8 | SE 13 | S 6 | S 6 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | — | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 |
| kJ | 37 | 24 | 43 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 130 | 92 | 31 | 264 | 204 | 110 | 31 | 24 | — | 1996 | 808 | 404 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SE 8 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 9 | SSW 16 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | — | — | — | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 28 | 18 | 12 | 18 | 41 | 35 | 22 | 48 | 144 | 99 | 114 | 82 | 61 | — | — | — | 17 | 28 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SE 10 | SSW 13 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 15 | ESE 14 | NNW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | S 18 | — | — | — | — | ESE 10 | ESE 13 |
| kJ | 17 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 7 | 46 | 84 | 5 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 42 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | SSW 7 | S 7 | — | — | NNW 2 | NW 5 | NW 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | S 12 | — | NNW 4 | NNW 4 |
| kJ | 87 | 309 | 426 | 224 | 134 | 107 | 600 | 295 | — | — | 1 | 71 | 441 | 2081 | 4808 | 7244 | — | 35 | 21 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 54 | 108 | 108 | 108 | 54 | 54 | 108 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 55 | 77 | 395 | 418 | 116 | 1 | 39 | 38 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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