Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Big Bay.

First up, we’ve got a slug of powerful swell coming in right away on Tuesday, September 1st. The water is sitting at 55°, which is a solid 5° colder than usual for this time of year – that’s way, way chillier than normal, so you’ll want a thick suit and booties. The swell is a solid 10ft from the SW, with a period of 13 seconds, giving it some serious grunt. The combined energy is a massive 3208, so there’s a lot of water moving. However, the wind is a cross-shore, and the report calls it marginal. It’s a big, powerful wave, but it’s not going to be your pretty, picture-perfect day. For the experienced crew only, and even then, it’s a bit of a wrestle.

Wednesday holds similar size at 10ft, with the morning light cross-shore making it a touch better than the afternoon. But honestly, the scores are low, and it’s just not coming together cleanly.

Now, Thursday morning, September 3rd, is where we get our first real standout. The swell drops to a still solid 8ft from the SW, period 12 seconds, and the combined energy is 3105. The wind goes light cross-off, and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is the pick of the first week. The swell direction is bang on the optimum SW, and with that clean wind, Big Bay will be offering up some serious, well-shaped barrels. It’s going to be big and powerful, but for the guys who know what they’re doing, this is the session to circle. The afternoon on Thursday, though, the wind howls from the SSE at 28 mph and the swell jumps to 12ft with a short 9-second period – that’s a total mess. Don’t bother.

The rest of the first week is a bit of a write-off. Friday and Saturday are smaller, but the wind is up and the quality drops right off. There’s a small window on Saturday morning with a 6ft SSE swell and offshore wind, but it’s small and the energy is weak.

We get a sweet little pulse on Sunday, September 6th, with a 6ft SW swell that has a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The wind is light offshore in the morning, making for clean, lined-up waves. The energy is 1877, so it’s got decent push. This is a classic Big Bay day – a long-period SW groundswell with offshore winds. It’ll be a bit shifty and the sets will be widely spaced, but the shape will be excellent. This is a close second to Thursday morning.

After that, from Monday the 7th through to the 10th, it goes flat and poor. The wind is onshore or cross, and the swell is tiny. A real lull.

Then we get a bit of a comeback on Thursday, September 10th. The swell picks up to 6ft from the WSW, period 11 seconds, with light cross-off winds. The energy is 717, so it’s modest, but it’s clean. It’s a small, playful wave for the longboard or a funboard.

The pattern continues into the second week with small, clean, but unremarkable surf. There’s a notable spike on Sunday, September 13th, with a 6ft WSW swell and a 15-second period, giving a big energy reading of 2165, but the wind is onshore, so it’s blown out.

The real keeper for the second week is the very last day, Wednesday, September 16th. We get a solid 8ft SW swell with a long 16-second period, and the combined energy is 2944. The wind is light cross-off and clean. This is a serious, powerful, groundswell on the way out of the window. It’s a long-range call, so it’s less certain, but if it holds, it’s going to be a heavy, clean, world-class day at Big Bay. For the experts only.

To sum it up, the two true standouts are Thursday morning, September 3rd, and Sunday morning, September 6th, in the first week. The second week’s best hope is the final day, Wednesday, September 16th. The rest of the period is either too big and messy, or too small. Don’t be a hero in the middle of the week.

Rusty.

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