Surf Forecasts:
Houghton Bay surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 9s period, SSW swell with 2,350 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Houghton Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Houghton Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Houghton Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Houghton Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Houghton Bay.
Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. The first few days are a write-off with poor conditions and nothing rideable. We’re looking at a gap of a few days before anything decent shows up.
The first real glimmer comes on Wednesday the 9th. The afternoon sees the wind go glassy, and we’ve got a small 4ft swell from the SSE. The combined energy is weak (196), so don’t expect much push, but it’s clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary.
Things start to get interesting on the 11th. Friday afternoon brings a solid 10ft swell from the SSW, with a strong surge of energy (3489). The wind is onshore, but the wave comment says "marginal" – it’s a big, messy option for the experienced crew only.
Now, if you’re looking for the standout, it’s undeniably the morning of the 16th. That’s the one. We’ve got a 15ft swell from the south with a period of 15 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The combined energy is massive at 9466. The wind is light offshore from the north, keeping it clean. This is exceptional surf, but it’s only for experts. That size and that kind of power will be too much for anyone else. The afternoon is even bigger at 18ft, but the wind picks up, making it marginal.
The other one to keep an eye on is the morning of the 13th. A 7ft swell from the SSW with a 14 second period, crossed up by a light westerly. The energy is big (1595) and conditions are "marginal" but workable. Then the afternoon of the 13th shapes up nicely with a 6ft SSW swell, 15 second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NNW. That’s a solid session for the confident surfer.
So, the big one is the 16th. Otherwise, the 13th offers the next best windows. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a bonus.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 37mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Mainly near gales. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed night, min 8°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSW 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 12 | SSW 14 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 72 | 24 | 210 | 71 | 146 | 135 | 48 | 229 | 480 | 621 | 597 | 989 | 733 | 309 | 181 | 48 | 27 | 39 | 123 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | glassy | off | off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 10:48PM1.62m | 11:08AM1.73m | 11:37PM1.62m | 12:02PM1.74m | 00:30AM1.61m | 12:56PM1.74m | 1:26AM1.59m | 1:52PM1.74m | 2:24AM1.58m | 2:48PM1.72m | 3:22AM1.57m | 3:46PM1.70m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:46PM0.55m | 5:04AM0.55m | 5:36PM0.51m | 5:52AM0.51m | 6:25PM0.49m | 6:41AM0.48m | 7:15PM0.48m | 7:33AM0.47m | 8:07PM0.49m | 8:30AM0.47m | 9:03PM0.51m | 9:29AM0.47m | 10:02PM0.55m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 19 |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 |
Feels °C | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 9 | NW 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SSW 14 | NW 6 |
| kJ | 26 | 72 | 24 | 210 | 71 | 146 | 135 | 35 | 14 | 480 | 99 | 41 | 8 | 8 | 309 | 181 | 48 | 26 | 39 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | — | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | — | — | NW 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SE 8 | S 20 |
| kJ | 24 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | 48 | 47 | 41 | 6 | 7 | — | — | 3 | 15 | 24 | 12 | 9 | 68 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | — | SE 10 | — | — | N 16 | — | NNW 8 | SSW 14 | NE 8 | — | S 21 | S 21 | NW 8 | S 18 | SSE 12 | S 11 | — |
| kJ | 10 | 5 | 4 | — | 4 | — | — | 5 | — | 6 | 20 | 3 | — | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 21 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSW 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | — | — | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | S 6 |
| kJ | 179 | 135 | 80 | 178 | 320 | 444 | 458 | 276 | 229 | 362 | 621 | 597 | 989 | 733 | — | — | 138 | 182 | 458 | 123 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 86 | 124 | 75 | 109 | 75 | 124 | 109 | 1 | 27 | 27 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 28 | 0 | 38 | 55 | 164 | 122 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wellington | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Houghton Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Houghton Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Houghton Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Houghton Bay surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Houghton Bay) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Houghton Bay may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Houghton Bay is 7 km (4 miles) from the city of Wellington. If you plan a holiday in Wellington, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wellington. Wellington has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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