Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright surfers, Rusty here. Let's get into it. It's a bit of a slow start, so bear with me.

For the first part of this forecast, the ocean's pretty quiet. From the 18th through the 22nd, there's nothing doing at Big Ben (South West). We've got weak, short-period swell and onshore winds messing things up. It's small and jumbled, not worth your time. The combined wave energy is weak, reading 156, 144, 104, and similar numbers. It's a flat patch, a good chance to get things sorted.

We get a little hint of life on the 23rd. Sunday morning sees a slight bump in energy to 294, but the swell is still small, around 3ft from the E with a light cross-shore wind. It's still only marginal, so not a real goer. There's also a storm risk hanging around.

The real story starts on Monday, the 24th. A proper groundswell starts to roll in. We're talking 8ft on Monday morning from the SSE with a long 17-second period. The energy jumps to 3520. By the afternoon, it's 10ft and the energy is climbing to 4054. But here's the catch – while the wind is light, this swell is forecast to be too big for this break. This is pushing it into expert territory, and for a mellow spot like Big Ben, that's a lot of power.

Tuesday, the 25th, is the peak. The morning sees a solid 10ft of SSE swell with a 16-second period and light, glassy SE winds. The energy is massive, reading 4847. This is the standout, the best chance we have for a proper session. It's still big, well over 8ft, so it's only for experts, but it will be powerful and clean early. The afternoon backs off slightly to 10ft with a bit more breeze, but still strong.

From Wednesday the 26th through to the 29th, the swell drops but stays relevant. We're looking at 8ft dropping to around 4-5ft, with periods around 13-14 seconds. However, the wind becomes more of a problem, turning cross-onshore and making things choppy. The energy is strong, in the 1500-3100 range, but the quality drops off. It's a bit of a churned-up mess. By the 28th and 29th, the wind is howling from the SE at up to 19 mph, making it lumpy and pretty much unsurfable at this spot.

The end of the window, from the 30th through to the 2nd of September, is another mixed bag. The 31st of August sees another huge pulse, with 13ft to 16ft of SE swell predicted, with a massive energy reading of 9229. Again, the wind is light, but the size is just too much for this break. It's not a realistic option for most. After that, it fades through the 1st and 2nd, with decreasing 10ft to 7ft swell, but winds stay onshore and the quality drops off.

There's a lot of power in this forecast, but not a lot of quality for a break like Big Ben. The best bet is the early morning of the 25th, if you're an expert and can handle some serious juice. Beyond that, you're looking at washed-out conditions or waves that are simply too big for the spot. Take care out there.

Rusty.

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