Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Big Ben over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a rough start. Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th are a total write-off. We’ve got heavy rain, strong cross-onshore winds, and a lumpy, messy sea state. The swell is there, but it’s ugly. The combined energy is strong to very strong, but it’s all for nothing in these conditions.

The first real chance to get wet comes Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. The wind swings around to a light cross-offshore, and the sea cleans right up. The swell is a solid 7ft from the South, with a moderate period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate. This is the standout of the whole run. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 83°.

Thursday morning, the 10th, also looks clean with a gentle cross-offshore breeze, but the swell has dropped back to 5ft from the South. It’s surfable, but not as punchy as Tuesday.

Then we hit a dry spell. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th have some small, glassy conditions, with a long-period swell of 14 seconds rolling in from the East. The swell is tiny though, only 2ft to 3ft. The energy is weak. It’s a long-period groundswell, so it might wrap in a bit better at a point or reef, but at a beach/jetty setup like this, it’s going to be a slow, straight wall. Not worth getting excited about.

From Sunday the 13th right through to the 20th, it’s a real grind. The wind is mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. The swell height bounces around between 2ft and 6ft, but the quality is poor to marginal at best. We get a little window on Wednesday the 16th with a light cross-offshore breeze and 3ft to 3ft swell from the East (12-13 second period), which is clean, but it’s tiny. The energy is weak. A good beach day, not a surf day.

The last few days, from the 19th to the 21st, don’t offer much either. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is small and weak. Sunday afternoon the 20th has a glassy moment, but the swell is only 2ft.

So, the only true standout here is Tuesday morning, September 8th at Big Ben. That’s your window. After that, it’s a long stretch of waiting for something to clean up, but the pattern doesn’t look likely to turn around. The crowd factor is something to keep in mind here – it’s a spot that can get busy, so if you’re heading out on that Tuesday, get in early.

Rusty.

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