Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's coming down the line for the next couple of weeks. It's a story of two halves, really.

We get off to a ripping start Friday morning, August 7th. Big Bay is the only show in town, and it's putting on a proper display. The swell is a solid 10ft from the SW, with a period of 14 seconds – that's proper groundswell, packing a punch with a combined energy of 3673 (moderate to strong). The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is a good 4° colder than usual for this time of year, so you'll be wanting a thicker wetsuit. The wind is light and offshore from the ESE, making the conditions glassy and clean. This is excellent surf, but at 10ft, it's one for the experienced crew only. The sets will be well-spaced with that long period, making the paddle out deceptively easy, but the take-off is serious.

As we move into Friday afternoon, the wind swings to a cross-shore from the SW, and the swell jumps a touch to 12ft, but the quality drops off. The tide might be a factor, and the cross-shore wind will chop it up a bit.

Saturday morning, August 8th, is another standout. The swell drops to a still-very-strong 8ft from the SW (13-second period, 2221 energy), but the wind goes glassy – absolute dead calm from the NNW. That's a rarity and a massive tick for clean, perfect lines. Still a big wave for the big kids, though. By Saturday afternoon, the wind turns onshore, and things get a bit messy.

Sunday, August 9th, is a write-off. The wind is howling out of the SSE at 22 mph, creating a cross-offshore breeze that might look clean on paper but the sheer strength will make it a battle.

The middle of the week, from Monday, August 10th through to Thursday, August 13th, sees the swell settle down to a more manageable 5ft to 8ft, with mostly light winds and clean conditions. Tuesday morning, August 11th, is a beauty with a 6ft SSW swell and offshore E wind at 6 mph. Then Wednesday, August 12th, brings a long-period 18-second swell from the WSW – that's a very long period groundswell. It'll be a bit wonky at a beach break like Big Bay, but the energy is there (2142) and the winds are light.

The first true standout to highlight is Friday morning, August 7th. The combination of a solid 10ft SW groundswell, a 14-second period, and that glassy offshore ESE wind is about as good as it gets for a bigger wave session. The crowd profile at Big Bay is "often," so expect a few out there, but the quality will be worth the company.

The second standout is Thursday morning, August 13th. The swell is a strong 8ft from the WSW with a 17-second period, producing a combined energy of 3192 (strong). The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NE at 9 mph. It's slightly smaller than Friday, but still a powerful wave for the experienced.

The second week is a bit more mixed. Friday, August 14th, has a glassy afternoon session with a 7ft WSW swell (16 seconds). Saturday, August 15th, is also looking promising with a 8ft swell in the morning and glassy conditions in the afternoon. The swell drops off a bit from Sunday, August 16th, through to Thursday, August 20th, with mostly smaller waves in the 4ft to 6ft range and moderate winds. The energy drops right down into the 500-1000 range (weak to low-moderate).

Then there's a big pulse on the horizon for Friday, August 21st. The swell jumps to 12ft from the WSW, with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 3896 (strong to very strong). The wind is a clean cross-off from the S at 12 mph. This is another big one for experts, but it's a long way out – promising, but less certain. Saturday, August 22nd, looks like a blown-out mess with rain and 25 mph winds, so that big pulse is likely short-lived.

Overall, the first week has the quality, with Friday the 7th and Thursday the 13th being the clear standouts. The second week has a promising but less reliable pulse on the 21st. There's a definite gap in quality from the 16th to the 20th where the swell is small and weaker. Keep your eyes on the forecasts.

Rusty.

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