Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks have some real potential, but you gotta be patient and pick your moments. The standout window is shaping up for the middle of the run, and there’s a couple of solid morning sessions before that.

We kick things off on Sunday morning the 30th, with clean 8.2ft SW swell at Big Bay. The cross-off breeze will keep it looking alright, but it’s marginal, and the water is sitting at 55.4°, which is a solid 4.7° colder than usual for this time of year. That’s a noticeable drop, so you’ll want the thickest wetsuit you’ve got. The swell energy is moderate with a reading of 2019. The surface is clean, but it’s not a standout.

Monday the 31st, the early session is the better one. The swell drops slightly to 6.6ft from the SW, and with a light 15 km/h cross-off it should be clean and offers some decent lines for an intermediate surfer. The energy is still moderate at 1019. The afternoon turns more cross, gets a bit messier, and the score drops.

Tuesday the 1st of September, there’s a bit more size pushing through, 8.2ft in the morning and up to 9.8ft by the afternoon. Swell direction is SW, period bumps to 13 seconds. The energy picks up into the moderate-high range at 2214 for the morning and 2873 in the afternoon. But the morning is a little cross, so it’s not totally clean until the afternoon when it goes cross-off. Still, it’s not the best of the week.

Now, Wednesday the 2nd is where it starts to get special. The morning has 9.8ft of SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and the wind is light and cross-off. It’s clean, powerful, and holds plenty of energy – we’re looking at 3398. This is an excellent window for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays clean with 9.8ft but the period drops slightly to 13 seconds, still a great day on the water.

Then things go a bit wild. Thursday the 3rd sees a big jump to 19.7ft in the morning, and the energy gauge is screaming at 10208. That’s strong to very strong energy, and the comment says it’s simply too big for this break. The wind is cross and gusty at 25 km/h. The afternoon drops to 16.4ft, still way too big for most, with a strong SSW pulse and 8403 energy. Unless you’re charging well overhead plus, this is not the day to paddle out at Big Bay. It’s a proper novelty wave at that size, and the setup looks more interesting for kitesurfing than paddle surfing.

We get a bit of a breather on Friday the 4th, with 7.2ft easing to 6.6ft, but the fresh cross-off wind at 30-35 km/h will make it bumpy and tough. There are better days.

The weekend drops off. Saturday the 5th is small, 3.3ft and dropping to 3.0ft, with moderate winds. Not much on offer.

Sunday the 6th is a sneaky good one. The morning has 4.9ft of long-period SW groundswell at 15 seconds, and the wind is offshore and light. It’s clean and glassy, and the energy (980) is moderate. This will be a proper point-break style wave, but at a beach, that long period might make it close out a bit. Still, for the smaller size, it’s worth a paddle. The afternoon goes cross and the swell drops, so get in early.

Monday the 7th is small but clean, with 3.0ft in the morning under light offshore winds. Not a head-high day, but the lines will be there. The energy is low at 426. Afternoon is similar, slightly smaller.

The middle of the second week gets pretty quiet. Tuesday the 8th drops to 2.0ft with glassy conditions, and Wednesday the 9th sees 1.3ft. These are ankle-biters, ordinary to say the least. The energy is very low, in the 100s. You’d be doing it for the exercise.

A slight pulse arrives Thursday the 10th but it’s poor. The wind goes onshore, and the combo of small swell and chop makes it a skunk.

Friday the 11th, the swell picks up again, 4.6ft in the morning and 5.9ft by the afternoon, but the wind is fresh out of the SSE, and the period is short – 8 seconds in the afternoon. It’s cleanish but unorganized. Not a high-quality day.

Saturday the 12th stays in that 6.6-

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