Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's coming.

The swell window is wide open for a good stretch, starting with a solid pulse of SW groundswell that hits Monday the 27th and hangs around, building and then dropping through the week. The main event, though, is a much bigger, more powerful pulse of SW groundswell that lines up for the middle of the following week.

Right off the bat, Monday morning the 27th, we’ve got an 8ft SW swell with a 16-second period, rolling in at Big Bay. The combined energy is a solid 3664, so there’s plenty of water moving. The wind is a cross-off from the SSE at 22 mph, so it’s going to be a bit bumpy and not perfect. The water temp is 57°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good hood and gloves. This Monday is for the experienced crew only; the waves are big and the conditions are marginal. By Tuesday morning the 28th, the wind cleans up to a nice offshore from the SE at 12 mph, and the swell is a solid 8ft from the SW at 14 seconds (2571 combined energy). The morning is looking excellent for advanced surfers.

The standout window for the first week is Tuesday afternoon the 28th through Wednesday morning the 29th. Tuesday afternoon has a gentle offshore breeze from the E at 9 mph, glassy and clean, with that same 8ft SW groundswell (2484 energy). Wednesday morning drops a little to 6ft (1075 energy) with a light cross-off from the E at 6 mph, still clean. These are the cleanest conditions of the first week for a solid, powerful SW swell.

The waves back off into the weekend. Friday the 31st of July is a real treat for the early crew—Friday afternoon is glassy, with a 4ft SW swell (454 energy), clean as a whistle. Saturday the 1st of August is also glassy in the afternoon, with a 5ft SW swell (598 energy). Perfect for a longboard or a funboard.

Now, we hit a rough patch. Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd of August are a write-off with cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions. Tuesday the 4th of August looks nasty with a huge 15ft WSW swell and strong onshore wind—that’s strictly for the tow crew or the kite surfers, not for paddle surfing.

But then, the real standout of the entire 16-day outlook arrives. Wednesday the 5th of August morning, the wind goes offshore from the E at 6 mph, and the swell is a clean 10ft from the WSW (2090 energy). The conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a solid day.

However, the absolute best on offer is Saturday the 8th of August. Morning at Big Bay is glassy, with a massive 12ft SW groundswell and a 15-second period. The combined energy is a huge 5454. This is a truly exceptional forecast for expert surfers. The wind is dead calm, the swell is huge and powerful, and it’s coming from the perfect SW direction. This is a day for the big-wave boards. Just remember that a 15-second period groundswell of this size at a beach break can be a bit straight and heavy, so you need to be on your game.

The following days, Sunday the 9th through Tuesday the 11th of August, keep the goods coming with 10ft to 8ft SW/WSW swells and clean cross-off winds, offering plenty of quality waves for the experienced crowd.

Overall, the first week has some clean windows on a solid SW swell, but the clear winner is the arrival of the second, bigger SW pulse. The glassy morning of Saturday the 8th of August is the one to circle on the calendar, but at 12ft, this is strictly for the experts. For the rest of us, the Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning of the first week offer the best balance of size and clean conditions.

- Rusty

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