Lyall Bay (Wellington) surf report, live surf cam & water temperature
Updated 4 Nov, 12:00 UTC
Live cam by John Young via YouTube
Current conditions
Right now at Lyall Bay (Wellington): 7 kts N, gusts 11, 0.7 m waves, water 15 °C — small waves, good for beginners.
7-day forecast
| Wed 4 | Thu 5 | Fri 6 | Sat 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 18 | 21 | 00 | 03 | 06 | 09 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 00 | 03 | 06 | 09 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 00 | 03 | 06 | 09 | 12 | |
| Wind | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
| Gusts | 19 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 18 |
| Direction | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ |
| Waves | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Temperature | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| Rain (mm) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||||||||||||||
Times shown in local time · Wind, waves and water temperature: ECMWF open data (CC BY 4.0) · Tides: EOT20, DGFI-TUM (CC BY 4.0)
🔒 Days 4–7 are Pro — The free plan shows the first 3 forecast days. Go Pro to see the whole week.
Surf forecast
| Thu 5 | Fri 6 | Sat 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 04 | 07 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 01 | 04 | 07 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 01 | 04 | 07 | 10 | |
| Surf (est.) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Primary swell | 0.314s↑ | 0.314s↑ | 0.313s↑ | 0.312s↑ | 0.311s↑ | 0.311s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.310s↑ | 0.39s↑ | 0.39s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ |
| Secondary swell | 0.18s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.17s↑ | 0.17s↑ | 0.17s↑ | 0.17s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.18s↑ | 0.19s↑ | 0.19s↑ | 0.19s↑ | 0.110s↑ | 0.110s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ | 0.29s↑ |
| Wind waves | 0.63s↑ | 0.63s↑ | 0.63s↑ | 0.53s↑ | 0.53s↑ | 0.53s↑ | 0.53s↑ | 0.63s↑ | 0.63s↑ | 0.63s↑ | 0.74s↑ | 0.84s↑ | 0.94s↑ | 1.15s↑ | 0.95s↑ | 0.95s↑ | 0.76s↑ | 0.66s↑ | 0.69s↑ | 0.68s↑ |
| Waves | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Period | 14s | 13s | 12s | 12s | 12s | 11s | 11s | 11s | 10s | 10s | 9s | 5s | 5s | 5s | 5s | 9s | 10s | 9s | 10s | 9s |
| Power | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Groundswell | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Surf height is estimated from the primary swell for a beach facing it; reefs, sandbanks and the tide change it. Power in kW per metre of coast. Groundswell: waves of 12 s and longer. Swell: NOAA WAVEWATCH III · ECMWF
Tides (next 48 h)
Spot info
- Town: Lyall Bay, Wellington
- Water: Sea
- Sports: Surf
- Best wind directions: NNWNNW
Lyall Bay is Wellington's best-known surf beach, a south-facing bay on the city's south coast, about 5 kilometres from the centre, right next to the end of Wellington Airport's runway. The live cam on this page looks over the bay from the hills above, so you can see the lines coming in before you leave home. Open to Cook Strait, Lyall Bay catches southerly swells that pass the strait, and the airport's sea wall on the western side shapes a well-known left-hander known as the Corner, with beach-break peaks spread across the middle of the bay. The Corner is the most consistent spot and gets crowded; the rest of the beach suits beginners and intermediate surfers on small days. Northerly winds – Wellington's prevailing wind – blow offshore here, so Lyall Bay often has clean conditions when the north-westerly is howling elsewhere, although a strong southerly brings cold, messy, onshore surf. The beach has a surf club and cafés along the parade. The water is cold, roughly 11 °C in winter to 17 °C in summer, so a full wetsuit is needed most of the year. Watch the live cam and check the surf report below.
Lyall Bay (Wellington) FAQ
- Is there a surf cam at Lyall Bay (Wellington)?
- Yes. The live surf cam for Lyall Bay (Wellington) is at the top of this page, next to the wind and wave forecast.
- What wind direction works at Lyall Bay (Wellington)?
- It works best in N, NW, NNW winds.
