Houghton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Houghton Bay. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a rough patch ahead, but there’s a glimmer if you’re patient.

For the next week and a bit, it’s mostly a write-off. We’ve got wind and swell all over the shop, but nothing that comes together right. The water temp is sitting at 54°, which is about normal for the time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your bits off for nothing.

The first real chance you get to even think about it is the morning of Tuesday, August 11th. We’ve got a pulse of moderate energy (543) from the south, pushing 6ft, but the period is a short 8 seconds – that’s windswell, messy stuff. It’s a south-east breeze, so it’s onshore. It’s not going to be pretty. The guidance calls it “marginal” and I’d agree. For the experienced heads only, if you’re desperate. The afternoon is even smaller and more crossed up.

Honestly, after that, it’s just small, weak, and ordinary for days. The wind swings offshore a few times Wednesday and Thursday, but the swell drops to nothing – 1ft to 3ft. Not worth paddling out for.

Then we get a big dose of reality. From Saturday the 15th through to Wednesday the 19th, the south swell machine fires up. We’re talking 7ft to 13ft of south swell, but the wind is howling onshore. 30 to 37 mph from the south and south-southwest. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine. The energy readings are huge – over 2500 in some cases – but the quality is zero. If you’re into kite surfing, maybe it looks fun. For a paddle surfer at a beach and reef break like Houghton Bay, it’s a hard pass.

Now, if you’ve got the patience of a saint, the standout is the afternoon of Thursday, August 20th. The stars nearly align. The swell drops to a solid 7ft from the south-southeast, with a clean 10-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy (1039). But the kicker? The wind goes glassy. Zero. Calm. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” and that’s no lie. For Houghton Bay, that is the pick of the whole 16 days. It’ll be a bit of a bomb, so this is for the crew who know what they’re doing – don’t take a beginner out in 7ft sets.

After that, the swell fades fast. The morning of Saturday the 22nd has a sniff – 4ft from the southeast with a very long 12-second period and a clean cross-offshore breeze. The energy is moderate (521), and it could be fun, but the period is so long it might wall up and close out on this beach setup. It’s a decent second option.

Beyond that, it’s back to small and ordinary through the end of the period. The best of the lot is definitely that Thursday afternoon the 20th – keep your fingers crossed the forecast holds.

Rusty.

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