Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve gotta be straight with you—this is a rough stretch for Houghton Bay. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but the first week and a half is pretty much a write-off. The good news is, it’s not completely hopeless, and there’s a nice little window that pops up later that’s worth keeping an eye on.

Right now, there’s nothing doing. We’ve got tiny, weak surf with poor conditions all the way from Thursday the 13th through to the 19th. The swell energy is weak, mostly sitting under 100 (51-84), and the wind is just all wrong—blowing onshore or cross-onshore and often strong. For instance, Sunday the 16th sees a big jump in swell size (15ft) but with a screaming onshore gale (34 mph), which is just a mess. That kind of power is for experts only, and even then, not worth it. The water temp is sitting at 54°, right about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there.

We finally get a break in the weather on Thursday the 20th. That’s the standout of the whole outlook. The morning looks glassy as glass—no wind at all, with a solid 6ft S swell running at 12 seconds. That’s a nice groundswell, with moderate energy (912). The water will be clean, the waves will have shape, and that period means you’ll get good gaps between sets. It’s not too big for most surfers, but it’s got enough punch to be fun. Afternoon stays clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. That’s your best bet—hands down.

Friday the 21st is still pretty good, with a clean offshore wind (12 mph from the N) and a 5ft S swell, but the period stretches out to 16 seconds. That’s very long period, so the waves will be more powerful and lined up, but at a beach-and-reef set-up like Houghton Bay, that can make them a bit straight and tricky. Still, it’s a decent option.

After that, it all goes downhill again. From Saturday the 22nd onwards, the wind cranks up—strong to near-gale cross-offshores, which just ruins the surface. The swell drops off fast, and by the 23rd we’re back to tiny, weak waves. The rest of the window, from the 24th to the 28th, is basically dead. There's a gap of several days with no recommendations, so don't bother planning anything.

So, to keep it simple: forget the first week. The real window is Thursday 20th and Friday 21st of August. Thursday morning, with that glass, is the one to chase. It’s not going to be epic, but it’ll be fun and clean. After that, the surf shuts down again.

Rusty.

Read more