Lighthouse Right Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Lighthouse Right (Noumea-Pass) is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of poor surf, with only a few fleeting moments that might be worth a paddle, but none of them are true standouts. The water’s sitting at 72°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The forecast kicks off with nothing on Tuesday the 28th – just a messy 3ft easterly windswell with a 4-second period and a 22 mph cross-shore wind. That’s a total dud. Wednesday the 29th is even worse, with no real swell to speak of. It’s a grim start.

We see a bit of a pulse on Thursday the 30th morning. A 2ft SSW groundswell, 16-second period, with a clean-ish cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at 12 mph. The combined energy is moderate (229). It’s only rated as marginal, but that’s the best we’ve got so far. The swell direction is from the SSW, which is not the optimum WSW for this reef, so it won’t be perfect, but the long period will give it some shape. Friday the 31st morning is similar – 3ft SSW swell, 14-second period, clean cross-off wind, with moderate energy (431). Again, marginal, but it’s the only window with a chance.

Then it all goes pear-shaped. Saturday the 1st of August brings a jump in size to 5ft and 5ft, but the wind swings SE at 19-25 mph, blowing cross-onshore and making it lumpy and messy. The energy is strong (847 and 556), but the quality is zero. Sunday the 2nd is a complete washout with tiny 0.3ft swell and more cross-onshore wind. The rest of the first week and into the second week is a mix of small, short-period windswell and persistent cross or cross-onshore winds, often fresh to strong. The swell stays mostly from the SSW, with periods between 10 and 23 seconds, but the wind just ruins it every time. There’s a brief moment on Thursday the 6th of August morning with 2ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and clean cross-off winds, but the energy is weak (163) and it’s still rated as poor.

The second week offers no hope. From the 7th of August onwards, it’s a parade of lumpy, messy, cross-onshore conditions. The swell is either too small, too short-period, or the wind is howling. The energy is mostly weak, dropping into double digits on the 9th, 10th, and 11th. With the swell over 5ft on the 1st, it would be too big for beginners, and the conditions are so bad it’s just not worth it for anyone. Honestly, with the persistent onshore wind and messy chop, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the bottom line: there’s no standout session here. The best you can hope for is a marginal, clean-ish window on the 30th and 31st of July, or the 6th of August, but don’t expect anything special. It’s a long, poor run. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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