Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the next couple of weeks for our stretch of coast, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s definitely some serious power on the way if you’re willing to wait it out.

Right off the bat, the surf is pretty weak and messy. The first couple of days won't get you too excited, with only small, short-period swell pushing in. The wind is mainly cross-off and gusty, which chops things up. It’s not worth paddling out for.

However, things take a dramatic turn as we head into the first of September. A proper pulse of southerly groundswell fills in overnight. Tuesday morning is the standout. We’re looking at solid 13ft swell from the SSW with a long 12-second period. The energy readings are through the roof, and the wind is just a light cross-on breeze. Yeah, it’s a bit onshore, so not perfect, but the size and power will be on. That afternoon it cleans right up with a light offshore wind from the north, dropping to a still-strong 12ft. This is big, powerful surf; not for the faint of heart, and definitely a day for experienced surfers only at Houghton Bay, a beach and reef setup that’s pretty exposed.

The strong conditions continue into Wednesday, holding around the 8ft to 8ft mark, but the cross-off wind builds to a fresh or strong breeze, making it harder to manage. It’s still sizable, but the quality drops off.

After that, the swell backs off quite a bit through the back half of the week and into the weekend. We’re down to smaller, weaker waves in the 2ft to 4ft range, and while the wind is often offshore, it’s just not enough size to get excited about.

The second week starts to show some life again. There’s a bump of SSW swell on the 7th, but it’s plagued by strong winds. The 8th looks small and gutless. Then, the ocean just goes quiet for a few days around the 9th, 10th and 11th. It’s a proper flat spell, with hardly any energy in the water.

But just when you’re about to give up, it looks like it’s going to light up again. The 12th of September is another big one. A new SW groundswell arrives, with wave heights pushing up to 13ft in the morning and a huge 16ft by the afternoon. The energy readings are massive again. The problem is the wind is howling from the south-southeast, straight onshore. This is where it gets interesting—with that much size and onshore wind at an exposed beach and reef set-up, it’s going to be a washing machine. Honestly, it might be a better day for the kite surfers than the paddle crew.

The big swell hangs around for the 13th with 12ft sets, but a near gale-force southerly will make it pretty wild. By the 14th, it settles down. We’re still looking at a solid 8ft of south swell, but the wind is light and then turns offshore in the afternoon. It looks like the cleanest of the big swells, a proper consolation prize after the chaos.

Water temp is sitting around 55°, which is just about normal for this time of year, so a good 5mm wetsuit, hood, and booties are still essential.

All in all, keep an eye on Tuesday, September 1st for the pure power, and maybe Monday, September 14th for a cleaner, though smaller, option. The rest of the time, you’re just waiting.

Rusty.

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