Hilton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s look at what’s on offer for the Hilton area.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days are a tough run for surf at Hilton. There’s really nothing worth paddling out for. The whole stretch is pretty grim, with a long gap of no real surf to speak of. The water temperature is sitting at 85.1°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be swimming in bathwater if you do go in.

From now through the end of August, and all the way into the first week of September, it’s a mess. Swell heights are tiny, mostly between 1.0 ft and 4.9 ft, but the energy is weak – the combined swell energy rarely gets above 100 (mostly in the 20-70 range). The period is short, around 5-8 seconds, so it’s all windswell, mushy and unshapely. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, which just makes it choppy and messy. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September where the wind goes glassy, but the swell is only 2.6 ft with a short period, so it’s barely surfable – just ordinary little waves. Even the Sunday the 30th of August has a 4.9 ft swell, but the wind is onshore and the energy is just moderate (306), so it’s poor.

The second week, from the 5th of September onward, is more of the same. Tiny, weak, short-period swells, with cross-onshore winds. The morning of Monday the 7th of September has a clean cross-offshore breeze, but again, the swell is only 2.0 ft and weak. The 8th and 9th of September have glassy mornings, but the swell is just 2.0 ft to 2.3 ft with low energy. It’s a total blank run.

When the swell is this small and weak, and the wind is mostly onshore, the setup at Hilton (a reef break) is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Honestly, it’s a dry spell. For an area that’s usually inconsistent, this is a particularly quiet period. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Read more