Topsy or Hilton Bet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. Rusty here, looking at the next few weeks for the North Shore. To be straight with you, this is gonna be a quiet stretch. We're looking at a lot of small, weak swell and not much in the way of size or power to get excited about. The water's running much warmer than usual for this time of year, sitting at 86°F—that's a couple of degrees above normal for mid-September, so you might not even need a spring suit.

Right out of the gate, Tuesday the 15th is small. Topsy or Hilton Bet is seeing a tiny 2ft of NW windswell with a short 6-second period and weak energy (15). The wind is a light cross-off in the morning which will keep things clean, but with that size, it's barely a ripple. Tuesday afternoon turns choppy as the wind swings to the NNW. Wednesday the 16th is a repeat – 2ft NW swell, still short period, weak energy (31) and light cross-off winds in the a.m. giving way to onshore chop later.

Thursday the 17th morning is the first time this week that looks remotely inviting for a paddle. The swell is still only 2ft from the NW (6 secs, 16 energy), but the wind goes dead glass. If you're a beginner or just want to sit out on a longboard in the calm, that's the window. It won't be exciting, but it'll be clean. The afternoon is back to choppy.

Friday the 18th is a write-off. Onshore wind and swell dropping to 1ft with a period of just 3 seconds. That's not even surf, that's wind slop.

The first good chance of anything rideable comes on Saturday the 19th morning. The swell bumps up a touch to 3ft from the WNW, with a 7-second period and the energy climbs to 99 (moderate). With a light cross breeze, it's not perfect but it's the biggest we've seen. Still, the direction is slightly off the optimum SW for Topsy, so waves will be a bit weak.

After that, we drop back into a long, flat run. From Sunday the 20th right through to Tuesday the 29th, the swell sits mostly between 1ft and 2ft, with days of glassy mornings but no power. The only notable bump happens on Tuesday the 29th morning, where a 3ft NW groundswell arrives with a period of 8 seconds and energy hitting 113—that's our first moderate wave energy of the whole forecast. Wind is light cross, so it's not out of control. That's technically the best swell of the bunch, but it's still small and the direction is cross for Topsy, so it's a heads-up for a tiny clean wave, not a standout day.

After that, the 30th rolls in with 1.0ft and glassy conditions, then a weird spike of 3ft on Wednesday afternoon but with a 5-second period and onshore wind. That's junk.

Overall? There's no standout session here. It's a long period of low energy. The morning of Thursday the 17th and the morning of Saturday the 19th are about as good as it gets for beginners or longboarders wanting a glassy knee-high wave, but nothing beyond that. The 29th of September morning offers the most energy (113) and a bit more shape from a groundswell, but it's still a small day. Honestly, if you're chasing anything over waist-high, you might be waiting a while. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it tends not to stay this flat for long.

- Rusty

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