Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what Big Bay has on the menu over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the cards, but it’s not all going to be clean, so we need to pick our moments.

The pattern is a long, drawn-out pulse of SW groundswell. The energy is moderate to strong, with the combined energy figures regularly hitting the thousands (2,528), showing there’s plenty of water moving. The standout window is definitely the second week, where the conditions and the swell align for some proper sessions.

The week kicks off on Monday the 17th of August with a decent 8ft SW swell at 13 seconds, but a cross-on wind and lumpy conditions mean we’re better off waiting. Tuesday the 18th is where it starts to get interesting. The morning sees a 8ft WSW swell with a cross-off breeze from the SSE, leaving the surface clean. By the afternoon, it’s a solid 10ft from the SW with the same clean cross-off wind – that’s proper power for intermediate crew. Thursday the 20th offers another big 10ft SW day, clean again thanks to cross-off winds, though at that size it’s pushing into expert territory. The following Friday morning, the 21st, the swell drops to 7ft but stays clean, which is a nice, more manageable wave.

After a few days of lumpier, cross-shore conditions over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd, Sunday the 23rd afternoon brings a 8ft SSW swell (14 seconds) with clean cross-off winds, and the energy is pumping at 4,131. That’s a cracking afternoon session.

Now, for the true standouts. The first one to circle is Tuesday the 25th of August. Early morning you’ve got a tiny 3ft swell coming from the SW with a 24-second period and light offshore SE winds – glistening, perfect, glassy conditions. That's groundswell of the highest order. That long period will make it wall up beautifully at Big Bay. Later that same day, the afternoon delivers a hefty 7ft SW swell with a 21-second period and only a light cross-shore air. The combined energy hits 5,023 – that’s serious grunt. Paddling out between sets will be a breeze with those long gaps.

The second standout is Friday the 28th of August. The morning has a 7ft WSW swell (13 seconds) with glassy conditions – flat calm, no wind, just you and the ocean. That is a rare gift. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so the 3/2mm should do the trick.

For the week ahead, the 31st of August morning has another clean, cross-off 6ft SW swell at 12 seconds which is a solid option for a Monday session. Tuesday the 1st of September finishes the run with a 8ft SW swell (14 seconds) and light offshore ESE winds in the morning – a clean, powerful finish to the outlook.

The last few days of August into September look promising, but remember, long-range calls are a bit less certain. The weekend of the 29th of August gets a bit messy with onshore winds and a big, lumpy 12ft swell – that’s more of a windsurfing or kiting day than a pure paddle session.

So in short, keep your eyes on the 25th and the 28th of August for the absolute best of what Big Bay has to offer. Get out there.

Rusty.

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