Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break down what’s happening at Big Bay. Water temp is about normal for this time of year, nothing strange. The next two weeks have some absolute crackers, but also some rough stretches you’ll want to sit out.

The fun starts Monday morning, August 3rd. Big Bay is serving up clean 5ft SW groundswell with glassy conditions – that’s about as good as it gets for a summer morning. The energy is moderate (805), so enough push without being a fight. The afternoon turns a bit cross, so grab the early session.

Tuesday August 4th is another early win. Both morning and afternoon are glassy or light, with 5ft to 4ft SW swell. The energy is a bit lower (484 to 451), but it’s clean and fun.

Then Wednesday August 5th is a total washout. 7ft to 7ft SW groundswell gets hammered by 25 km/h cross-onshore winds, and the energy jumps to 1998–2150. Strong swell, but it’s chopped to pieces. Not worth it.

Thursday August 6th through Friday August 7th morning – that’s the real deal. Big Bay sees 10ft SW groundswell with a long period of 13–14 seconds, and the wind is light offshore or glassy. The energy is huge (3237–3673), and conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is big, powerful, clean groundswell – expert territory only. The long period will make it a bit unpredictable at the beach, but the quality is off the charts.

Friday afternoon August 7th gets a bit bumpy as the wind shifts, so aim for the early.

Saturday August 8th through Sunday August 9th are messy. The swell stays solid (8ft–10ft), but the wind is onshore or cross-off with rain showers. The energy is still high (1829–2386), but the surface is ugly. Sunday afternoon has southerly winds up to 45 km/h – that’s more for kite surfers than paddlers.

Monday August 10th and Tuesday August 11th see the swell drop to 6ft and then 3ft. Winds are cross-off, conditions are clean, but the energy drops to 247–1195. It’s small but tidy – good for a longboard.

Wednesday August 12th brings a nice little pulse of 5ft SW swell with clean cross-off winds and moderate energy (577). The morning is the pick.

Then Thursday August 13th through Friday August 14th is another big-time window. The swell hits 10ft again, this time from the WSW with a very long period of 15 seconds. The energy is massive (4429 to 2278), and the wind stays light cross-off. This is heavy, expert-only groundswell. The long period will make it powerful and lined up, especially if you can find a reef or point.

Saturday August 15th eases to 6ft to 6ft with glassy to light cross-off winds. The energy is moderate (1062 to 802) and the conditions are clean. A solid day for intermediate surfers.

Sunday August 16th is smaller again (4ft to 4ft) and clean, but the energy is low. Monday August 17th and Tuesday August 18th close out the run with weak onshore winds and rising swell – the 18th has 8ft WSW swell but with 25 km/h cross-on wind and rain. A messy finish.

If I’m picking the best of the best, it’s Thursday August 6th morning and Friday August 7th morning for the big, clean groundswell, then Thursday August 13th and Friday August 14th for the next pulse of heavy WSW groundswell. Both are for experienced surfers only. The small, clean days on Tuesday August 4th and Saturday August 15th are the ones for everyone else.

Rusty out.

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