Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

The next couple of days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We’ve got some solid swell in the water, but that wind is going to be messy. Wednesday is looking like a full washout with a strong cross-onshore breeze and junky, lumpy waves. You’d be fighting a losing battle out there. We’re looking at a couple of days of onshore junk before things clean up.

We’re really waiting on Thursday the 6th. That’s when the wind swings around to a light cross-offshore and the swell cleans right up. We’re talking 12ft of WSW groundswell at Big Bay, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s proper, powerful surf. It’s got a lot of energy behind it too, with combined energy readings over 3600. This is big, powerful stuff, so it’s strictly for the experienced crew. The water is also a bit colder than usual for this time of year, sitting at 57°F, so a decent hood is a good call.

Friday the 7th looks like the standout of this first run. Morning is looking perfect with light offshore winds and a clean 10ft of SW swell, still with that long 14-second period. The energy is really humming along at 3835. This is that clean, lined-up, quality surf you dream about. The afternoon gets a bit more cross-shore and lumpy, so get your waves in the morning. This is the pick of the first week.

The weekend gets messy again. Saturday is still rideable, but the wind is a bit more cross-shore and it’s not as clean. Sunday the 9th is a complete no-go. That near-gale wind is going to make it a howling mess, even if the swell is pushing 13ft. That’s a stormy, chaotic ocean, and honestly, it’s looking more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.

After that, things drop off in size and quality for a while. There’s a few fun windows early next week, but nothing to write home about. Monday the 10th is onshore junky, but Tuesday the 11th swings back offshore with a fun 6ft SSW swell. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean. Wednesday the 12th has a weird, very long period swell (18 seconds) that might make it break a bit too straight at the beach, but it’s worth a look. The rest of that week into the 16th is small and inconsistent, with onshore winds messing things up at times.

The real flagship event is the forecast for the 20th of August. That is a monster. We’re looking at an 18ft WSW swell with a 14-second period and a combined energy reading of over 11,000. That is an enormous amount of power. The wind is light and favorable, but this is way, way too big for Big Bay. It will be a washing machine. This is one for the true experts only, and even then, it might be more of a spectacle than a surf. It’s a long way out, so it’s promising but not a sure thing, but if it hits, it’s going to be a big one.

Rusty

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