Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s be honest with you, Houghton Bay. Looking at the next 16 days, it’s a bit of a flat spell with a few flickers of hope, but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. The first swell of note doesn’t show up until the 12th of September, and even then, it’s a bumpy ride. We’ve got a 4-day gap from the start of the period with no real surf on offer.

The first real chance to get wet is Saturday morning, the 12th of September. We’ve got a 5ft south swell, but it’s coming from the south with a 15-second period – that’s proper groundswell, which is promising. But the wind is a cross-onshore from the southeast at 18 mph, and it’s making things fairly choppy. The combined energy is moderate at 1092, but it’s a marginal call. By the afternoon, that swell jumps to 10ft – that’s expert territory, too big for most of us, and the same cross-onshore wind is still messing with the surface. The energy is strong at 3287, but it’s not clean.

Sunday the 13th keeps the size up – 7ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, both from the south. The wind is onshore, though, so it’s going to be a messy, choppy affair. The energy is strong (1194 and 3044), but the onshore wind kills the quality.

Monday the 14th is our first real standout. Morning shows a 6ft south swell with a 12-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the north-northwest at 6 mph, and the forecast is for clean surf. The energy is moderate at 967. This is the best the window has to offer – a solid size, good period, and clean conditions. This is your window. The water temperature is about average for the time of year.

After that, it’s downhill. Tuesday the 15th has a 3ft south swell and a fresh offshore breeze, but the energy is weak (232). The following days are dominated by strong winds and minimal swell, with a lot of days showing poor surf conditions. The 17th of September has a brief moment of glassy conditions with a tiny 4ft south swell, but it’s a short period and the energy is weak (214). The 18th of September has a 6ft south swell again, but it’s howling with a strong breeze, making it a messy, blown-out mess.

The long-range stuff from the 21st onwards is all poor – near gale force winds and small, messy swells. Honestly, this is a stretch of mostly blown-out, oversized, or tiny conditions. The only real highlight is Monday the 14th morning. Get out there then if you can. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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