Hilton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you—this is a tough one to call. I've looked at the numbers for Hilton, and truth be told, it's a pretty bleak picture for the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 82°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year, so you might not need the thickest rubber, but you'll be needing a whole lot of patience.

We're looking at a full 16-day window starting now, and the very first record we get is for Friday, July 17th. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the WNW, but the period is a short, weak 7 seconds. The wind is a cross-onshore blow from the SW at 9 mph, and the combined energy is a paltry 48 – that's weak. The report calls it "poor surf conditions," and I'm not gonna argue. This sets the tone for the whole run.

The pattern just doesn't let up. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are the same story: waves around 2 ft, period barely breaking 7 seconds, and almost always that cross-onshore wind messing up the face. The combined energy stays in the 20s and 30s right through the week. The only real tease is a glassy moment on Sunday morning, July 19th, with the wind dropping to nothing, but the swell is still only 2 ft. It's a window of clean, flat water, not surf.

We go through the entire first week, all the way through Friday the 24th, and it’s the same story. The swell nudges up to 3 ft by the afternoon of the 24th, but the period is still just 6 seconds and the wind is a full onshore 12 mph from the west. The energy gets to 52, which is still weak. It’s not surfable.

Then we hit Saturday, July 25th. Finally, something changes. The morning brings a 3 ft swell from the WNW, period jumps to 7 seconds, and the combined energy hits 114, which is moderate. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the SSW at only 3 mph. This is the closest we get to a "standout" in the whole outlook, but it's a relative thing. The wave comment still says "poor surf conditions," so don't get too excited. The afternoon is messier.

The last week of July and into the first of August is more of the same. The swell pushes up to 4 ft on Monday the 27th, with an 8-second period and energy of 188, but the wind is cross-onshore at 12 mph in the afternoon. It's lumpy and weak. The rest of the run is just dribble: 2 ft, 2 ft, short periods, and cross-onshore winds.

Honestly, there's nothing here for a surfer. The consistency is listed as "inconsistent," and with this data, that's generous. The only thing that breaks the monotony is the morning of the 25th, but even that is a poor-quality 3 ft wave. The setup is a reef, but with these tiny, weak swells and the wrong wind direction, it's a washout. For anyone who wants to get wet, this looks more like a kiteboarding window on the 27th when the wind picks up—at least then you've got some power.

It's a long stretch of nothing, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, I wouldn't bother waxing the board.

Rusty.

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