Big Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next sixteen days are serving up for Big Beach.

The overall pattern is pretty small and slow. There's no real swell on the immediate horizon that’s going to get your heart pounding. The first few days are rideable if you're a beginner or just dying for a splash, but it's not until the tail end of the first week that we get something worth a proper mention. There’s a long stretch of unremarkable conditions after that, with a few small pulses but nothing that screams "go time."

Let’s run through it chronologically. Wednesday the 22nd is tiny, with morning clean 2ft swell from the SSW, period 24 seconds – that's a long period for such a small wave, but it’s clean with a gentle offshore breeze. The wave energy is moderate for the size though, at 562. The water temp is 80°, which is normal for this time of year, anomaly only 0.9°. Not a bad little morning for a longboard. The afternoon gets a bit cross-off and the score drops.

Thursday the 23rd bumps up a touch to 3ft but the wind goes cross-off and moderate. It's clean but not stellar. This pattern of small, clean but unspectacular waves holds through Friday the 24th. Saturday the 25th is where it starts to look interesting. We’ve got 3ft in the morning under gentle offshore winds, with more energy in the water – up to 786 in the combined swell energy, which is decent for the size. Saturday afternoon pushes to 3ft, 18 second period, moderate offshore wind. That's the best window of the whole outlook. Sunday the 26th still has 3ft in the morning with glassy offshore winds, but the energy drops off a bit to 581.

After Sunday, the swell fades through Monday and Tuesday, with 3ft dropping to 2ft, still clean but not much push. By Tuesday the 28th the energy is falling below 200.

From Wednesday the 29th onward, we’re in a slump. Most days are 2ft to 2ft, sometimes 1ft, with low energy (mostly under 200, and even below 100 on the 4th and 5th of August). The wind often stays offshore or cross-off, keeping things clean for a log or a foamboard, but there's just no power. The period is often short to mediocre, although there are a few longer period pulses like 17 seconds on the 4th of August afternoon. That afternoon on the 4th has only 1ft swell but a period of 17 seconds, so the wave energy is actually 120, which is moderate for such a tiny wave – you might get a few longer lines but they’ll be ankle-biters.

The standout is without a doubt Saturday the 25th, morning and afternoon. Clean 3ft SSW swell with gentle to moderate offshore winds. The swell direction (SSW) is not the optimum (WSW), but the quality of the wind and the consistency of the sets make it the pick. Crowds are sometimes a thing at Big Beach, so you might have some company, but the clean conditions will make it worthwhile for a fun session on a shortboard or fish.

If you’re a beginner, these small waves all month are actually fine for you – nothing goes over 3ft, so it’s never too big. Experts will be bored except maybe for a few moments on Saturday the 25th.

Alright, that’s the long and short of it. Keep your eyes on the weekend.

Rusty.

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