Hilton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here again. I’ve crunched the numbers on the Hilton stretch, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s looking grim. This is one of those periods where the ocean just doesn’t want to play ball. We’ve got a long, dry spell ahead, so don’t be in a rush to wax up.

The outlook starts on Sunday, the 30th of August, and honestly, it’s a write-off from the get-go. The swell is small and mixed up, coming from the WNW at about 5 ft, but the wind is howling onshore from the west at 9 to 12 mph, turning the place into a messy, bumpy mess. The wave energy is moderate at best—around 361 (combined energy)—but the quality is just not there. It’s a poor surf set-up, and that trend sticks.

The whole first week is a struggle. Throughout the 31st, we’re looking at dropping swell, down to 3 ft, with a choppy cross-onshore wind. The water temp is sitting at a warm 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but it doesn’t help the waves. Tuesday the 1st of September offers a tiny window of hope: the morning goes glassy with a light NNE breeze at 3 mph, and the swell is a measly 3 ft from the WNW with a short period of 7 seconds. The energy is weak (70), but it’s the only time the conditions are clean enough to even call it surfable. It’s pretty ordinary, but if you’re desperate, that’s your best bet for the week.

After that, it’s a long, flat drought. From Wednesday the 2nd all the way through to the 14th of September, the swell is tiny—mostly 1 ft to 2 ft—with periods as low as 5 to 6 seconds. The wind keeps flipping around, but it’s mostly cross-onshore, and the energy levels drop into the double digits, sometimes as low as 5. There’s a few glassy mornings here and there—like Thursday the 3rd, Tuesday the 8th, and Thursday the 10th—but the waves are just too small to get excited about, barely 1 ft to 3 ft. It’s frustrating, I know.

The second week rolls on much the same. There’s a slight uptick on the 9th and 10th of September with a bit more size (3 ft) and a slightly better period of 8 seconds, but the wind is still a factor. The best you’ll get is a clean, glassy morning on Thursday the 10th, with the swell coming from the WNW. The energy is still weak (66), and the waves are just ordinary. It’s not a total flat spell, but it’s about as close as you can get without being one.

The only real standout, if you can even call it that, is Tuesday morning, the 1st of September. That’s your one chance for a clean, glassy surf with a tiny bit of shape. The break itself is a reef, and it’s inconsistent, so it doesn’t always fire. Crowds are possible, but with conditions this poor, it’ll probably be empty. The swell direction is WNW, which is about as good as it gets for this spot, but the size is just too small to get your hopes up.

For the rest of the run, if you’re a kite surfer, the steady onshore winds might look interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a no-go. The setup is just too blown out and small. That’s the truth of it.

Rusty.

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