Hilton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Hilton over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight up with you, the outlook is a long, lean stretch. We’ve got a solid 16-day window with barely a whisper of worthwhile surf. The first real swell of any size doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday the 25th of July, and even then, it’s a marginal call. Before that, from now through to Friday the 24th of July, the waves are just too small and messy to bother with—a full ten days of flat-to-poor conditions. You’d be better off waxing a longboard for the lake or just taking a break.

The only period that gets a second look is around Saturday the 25th of July. A pulse of WNW swell pushes through, with the morning seeing a head-high 6 ft swell from the WNW, packing a solid 624 combined energy. The period is a decent 9 seconds, so it’s got some push. However, the wind is a cross-on SW breeze at 9 mph, which is going to chop it up. The afternoon of the 25th drops a little to 6 ft but still has strong energy (587), though the wind goes onshore. For a reef break that’s best with a WSW swell direction, this WNW swell is a bit off-angle, and with the crowds being “sometimes” here, you might get a few others out but it’ll be far from perfect.

The morning of Sunday the 26th of July sees the swell drop back to 4 ft with a cross-on breeze, so the window is tight. If you’re an expert and desperate for a paddle, the Saturday morning window is the only real chance, but it’s for experts given the size and the less-than-ideal conditions.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no wetsuit surprises there.

Honestly, for this stretch, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddler’s paradise when the wind picks up. Keep an eye on the long-range forecasts, but for now, it’s a tough run.

Rusty.

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