Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Big Ben (beach/jetty) – It’s a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The first week is pretty grim. From Friday the 17th right through to the 24th, we’ve got tiny, weak swell, mostly cross-onshore or onshore wind, and the wave energy is low, sitting around 150 to 300 (moderate energy). The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild. The surf is just poor or marginal, with a few sessions showing a little 3.6 ft of east swell, but the wind is never clean enough to make it worthwhile. The period is short, around 9 seconds, so the waves are gutless. It’s inconsistent, and crowds are possible, but honestly, there’s nothing to crowd for. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing right now, especially with the cross-onshore breeze.

Then we hit the 26th of July and things change. Sunday morning, the 26th, we get a solid 6.6 ft swell from the SSE, with a long period of 14 seconds. The wind is light cross-offshore from the NNE, and the wave energy is strong (1630). The water is clean, and the waves will have proper shape – that’s the standout of the whole outlook. It’s going to be big enough for experienced surfers, but it’s a groundswell, so it might break a bit straight on the beach. Still, the morning looks like the best of it.

The 27th and 28th keep the swell coming, but it gets bigger. Monday the 27th shows 7.5 ft to 8.2 ft SSE swell, with a very long period (14 seconds) and light cross-onshore winds. The energy is well over 1900, but the wind is just a little bit onshore, so it’s a bit messy. By Tuesday the 28th, the swell hits 14.8 ft to 19.7 ft, with a period of 15 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell. The morning is glassy, but the swell is way too big for this break, only for experts. Expect huge, powerful waves, but the beach break might be a washing machine. After that, the swell drops quickly, and by the 30th it’s back to small, weak surf with onshore winds.

So, the real highlight is the morning of Sunday the 26th – that’s your best shot at clean, punchy, sizeable surf. The 28th is for the brave only. The rest of the 16 days is mostly a write-off.

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