Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, mate. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. The forecast for Houghton Bay has a bit of a mixed bag – there’s some solid swell lined up, especially for the more experienced crew, but a lot of wind in between that will make it tricky. The water temp is sitting at 52°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of the year, so nothing unusual there.

The first real chance to get a wave will be Monday the 24th of August. The morning session is the clear standout for that day. We’ve got a clean 7ft SSW swell with a nice 13-second period, pushing through with a moderate offshore breeze from the NNW. The combined wave energy is substantial at 1492 (moderate to strong). This is excellent surf, but it’s in the zone that’s better left to the experienced surfers. The wind will make for some clean, lined-up walls on this exposed beach-and-reef break.

The afternoon of that same day still has some decent size at 6ft from the SSW, but the wind jumps up to a fresh 22 mph from the NNW. It’s still offshore, but that fresh breeze will make paddling harder and the surface a bit more textured.

Tuesday the 25th we see a drop in quality. The swell drops to 3ft from the south that morning, but the wind is a strong 25 mph from the northwest, making for a messy cross-offshore situation. Poor conditions all day, I wouldn’t bother paddling out.

We have a few days of poor surf following, until we get to Thursday the 27th. This is the big one for the first week. Thursday morning brings a solid 6ft S swell, but the period is a deep 18 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, which can be tricky at a beach break like Houghton Bay because it can make the waves a little straight – but the energy is enormous at 2245 (strong to very strong). The wind is a light 6 mph from the northwest, just a cross-offshore breeze. For experienced surfers, this is going to be a proper session with some serious grunt. The afternoon on Thursday has similar size but the wind picks up to 19 mph, making it a bit less clean.

Friday the 28th is a write-off with strong offshore winds making it near impossible to get out, and rain to boot.

Now, Saturday the 29th is a sneaky good one. The morning is forecast to be glassy – zero wind from the east-southeast – and a clean 4ft S swell at 11 seconds. The energy is 319 (weak to moderate). This is a perfect window for the intermediate surfer who wants a forgiving wave without the big paddle-out struggle. The break is inconsistent, so you’ll have to be patient, but when it comes, it will be clean and user-friendly.

The next notable date is a big one, but it’s a full week away. On Tuesday the 1st of September, a large 12ft S swell arrives in the morning, with a 13-second period and a fresh 22 mph NNW offshore wind. The combined energy is massive at 3662 (strong to very strong). That’s strictly for the experts only – too big and raw for anyone else. The afternoon is still hefty at 8ft.

After that, there’s a long gap of poor, windy, or onshore conditions right through until the end of the forecast period, with some small, messy waves and near-gale winds making it unappealing. The only flicker of hope is on Sunday the 6th of September, where the period jumps to a very long 22 seconds on a 2ft swell, but with a south onshore wind, it will be a lumpy, low-energy affair.

So, for the standout sessions, I’d be putting all my focus on the glassy Saturday the 29th for a clean, intermediate session, and the big Thursday the 27th for the experienced guns. The very large swell on the 1st of September is a promise for the crew with big-wave gear, but it’s a long way off, so keep a watch on that one.

Rusty

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