Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for our stretch of coast.

Right off the bat, Monday the 7th is a complete write-off. Heavy rain, solid cross-onshore winds howling at 22 mph, and a lumpy, messy 7ft SSE swell. That's not surf, that's a washing machine. We’ve got a few days of flat, ordinary junk to sit through after that. Tuesday the 8th is tiny and the wind is all wrong. Wednesday the 9th sees a brief window of clean, offshore wind, but the swell is a pathetic 2ft with barely any energy (71). You’d be fighting for a dribble.

The real story starts to build on Friday the 11th of September. The wind finally swings offshore, blowing clean and moderate at 12 mph, and a solid 6ft S swell with a moderate period of 8 seconds rolls in. The combined energy jumps to 592 (moderate), and the forecast says expect very good surf conditions. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the first real standout—Houghton Bay will have some proper, punchy walls. The offshore wind will keep the surface glassy. Saturday morning the 12th looks a bit iffy with a long period (14s) SSW swell and a cross-shore wind, but hold onto your board for Saturday afternoon. The wind goes fresh offshore from the NNW, and we see a beast of an 12ft S swell at 13 seconds. The combined energy surges to a massive 4374 (very strong wave energy). That is a serious, heavy groundswell. For a beach and reef setup like this, that long period will make the waves suck up and double over. That is expert territory only. It’s going to be a powerful, dangerous, and absolutely thrilling session if you’ve got the cojones.

Sunday the 13th keeps the large, long-period S swell (10ft, 14s) with very high energy (4307), but the wind is more onshore or cross-on, making it a bit lumpy. Still a big day for the brave. Monday the 14th sees the size drop to a more manageable 7ft, still with a long 13-second period and fresh offshore N winds. That’s a good, clean day for a strong intermediate.

After that, the swell fades fast. The rest of the second week is a mix of tiny pulses, howling offshore winds that are too strong to paddle into, or just plain flat. There’s a small window on Friday the 18th with a 2ft swell and fresh offshore wind, but it's marginal. From around the 16th onward, we’re looking at a long, dry spell of no real surf to speak of for many days. The energy levels drop to triple and double digits, and the wind is mostly cross-off or straight offshore and brutal.

Best of the lot: Friday the 11th of September. That’s your golden ticket. Clean, moderate offshore wind, solid 6ft swell, and good energy. A proper, fun day out. For the big wave chargers, Saturday afternoon the 12th is the big one, but bring your big wave gun and your wits.

Rusty

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