Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, your local surf reporter. Let’s talk about what’s happening in the water.

First up, the water temp at Houghton Bay is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

Alright, it’s a bit of a slow start for the next few days. The period kicks off with a big, raw swell on Wednesday the 19th of August, but it’s accompanied by strong onshore winds, making for poor surf conditions (combined energy of all swells directed here is 3592). That’s a lot of energy but no quality. We’ve got a real gap until Friday morning, the 21st of August, when things start to get interesting.

The standout of the whole outlook is Friday morning, the 21st of August. Houghton Bay is looking at a clean 5 ft south groundswell, with a very long period of 16 seconds, light offshore winds, and the wave comment says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." The combined energy is 1113 – moderate, but that period is the key. This is a solid, well-shaped swell for a beach and reef setup like Houghton Bay, though it’s a spot that’s inconsistent and can be picky. The swell direction is right on the money from the south, which is optimum for this break. Keep in mind, crowds are possible here.

After that, winds get messy with strong cross-offshore breezes, making things choppy and poor. The surf drops off quickly into the weekend, with tiny, weak waves from the 22nd to the 24th, and the combined energy falling to just 36 by Sunday morning.

Then we have a bit of a lull through the middle of the week. The next real glimmer comes on Sunday the 30th of August. The afternoon looks promising: a solid 6 ft south-southwest groundswell, period of 15 seconds, light cross-offshore breeze, and excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers. Combined energy is 1258. This is a strong, clean swell, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep that in mind.

Finally, the best of the late period is Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning is glassy with a 5 ft south-southwest groundswell, very long period of 14 seconds, and zero wind. Combined energy is 1314. This is a classic, clean setup. The afternoon sees a bigger 8 ft south swell, still clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, but that’s getting into the expert-only zone. Both are promising, but being 14 days out, there’s some uncertainty.

So, if you can, aim for Friday morning the 21st of August. That’s the pick of the bunch. Get out there while it’s clean.

Rusty.

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