Surf Forecasts:
Houghton Bay surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, S swell with 3,305 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period with SSW 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Houghton Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Houghton Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
First thing to say is, we’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s a definite window of cleaner, more powerful swell around the 12th and 13th. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The real standout is Saturday the 12th at Houghton Bay. The swell jumps up to 5 ft, coming from the south with a nice long period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is a light cross-onshore, which keeps things fairly clean. The combined energy is solid (1272), so there’s some grunt in the water. This is the pick of the window for the intermediate surfer.
Sunday the 13th still has some size, with 7 ft of south swell, but the period drops a bit to 13 seconds. The wind is light cross-onshore, but it’s not as clean as Saturday. It’s surfable, but Saturday is the better call.
The rest of the week is a bit of a mixed bag. Monday the 14th offers some clean offshore wind in the morning with 5 ft south swell (698 energy), but the wind is a moderate breeze, so it’s a bit bumpy. Thursday the 17th has a tiny 1.0 ft south swell with a long period, but it’s just not enough to get excited about.
Further out, there’s a big pulse of swell on Friday the 18th – 15 ft from the south with a massive 7288 energy. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore and it’s messy. That’s a bit of a beast, and for the experienced only. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.
After that, the swell drops right off and the winds get messy again. There’s a small window on Sunday the 20th with clean offshore wind and 2 ft swell, but it’s pretty weak. The options dry up badly in the second week. The long-range outlook for the 26th shows a hint of clean swell (3 ft, 12 seconds), but it’s too far off to bank on.
So, to sum it up: Saturday 12th is your best bet. Cleaner conditions, decent size, and that long period groundswell. Get it while it’s good.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NNW on Fri morning, calm by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the NNW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 4 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 237 | 229 | 243 | 838 | 2848 | 2499 | 1080 | 710 | 930 | 895 | 632 | 347 | 228 | 149 | 78 | 23 | 17 | 7 | 435 | 150 | 52 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:43PM1.67m | 5:15AM1.59m | 5:39PM1.64m | 6:10AM1.60m | 6:35PM1.62m | 7:04AM1.62m | 7:30PM1.60m | 7:56AM1.64m | 8:22PM1.59m | 8:44AM1.64m | 9:11PM1.58m | 9:31AM1.63m | 9:57PM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:29AM0.49m | 11:04PM0.59m | 11:28AM0.51m | 00:02AM0.62m | 12:25PM0.55m | 00:56AM0.64m | 1:21PM0.59m | 1:46AM0.67m | 2:16PM0.63m | 2:35AM0.69m | 3:10PM0.66m | 3:22AM0.70m | 3:59PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 4 | SSW 13 | S 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 72 | 229 | 243 | 838 | 2848 | 2499 | 1080 | 710 | 930 | 895 | 632 | 347 | 228 | 149 | 78 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 35 | 150 | 52 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | S 6 | NW 6 | S 7 | — | — | NE 12 | S 21 | — | — | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 7 | NW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 237 | 20 | 5 | 113 | — | — | 6 | 9 | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 2 | 17 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | — | — | S 8 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNW 5 | S 4 | — | — | — | NW 3 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | — | SSW 7 | — | NW 5 |
| kJ | 3 | 88 | 9 | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 13 | 52 | 56 | 485 | 540 | — | 435 | — | 73 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 61 | 38 | 60 | 61 | 28 | 27 | 38 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 38 | 75 | 116 | 114 | 109 | 112 | 0 |
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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