Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NW 21 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 273kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 189kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 126, poor
- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 621, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 933, too small
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Feb–Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Lake Ferry does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 26, poor | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 363kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 18 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-west, 21 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 273kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 189kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 15°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 04:18 −0.7 mHigh 10:36 +0.8 mLow 17:01 −0.7 mHigh 23:06 +0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:14 −0.7 mHigh 11:32 +0.8 mLow 17:56 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:01 +0.6 mLow 06:11 −0.7 mHigh 12:28 +0.7 mLow 18:50 −0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Feb–Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Lake Ferry on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lake Ferry
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Lower Hutt, 26 km (about 45 min by car). Nearest airport: Wellington International Airport (WLG), 29 km.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,350–US$2,650 each
about US$1,350–US$2,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$844–US$1,750 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,350–US$2,650 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 26 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Lower Hutt, 26 km (about 45 min by car). Nearest airport: Wellington International Airport (WLG), 29 km.
See places to stay near Lower Hutt, 26 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 29h 30m
About 29h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → WLG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.