Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, mate, the start of this stretch is pretty grim. We’ve got a long run of poor surf conditions from the 16th to the 23rd of August. Small, weak, and onshore – not worth paddling out for. We’re talking about a blank run of about a week, which is a real bummer. The swell energy is pretty weak too, hanging around the 118 to 452 range. You wouldn’t be missing anything.

Now, things finally start to wake up around Monday the 24th. That’s our first real chance of a wave. Big Ben (that’s our beach/jetty spot) sees the swell start to push in from the SSE, and the energy jumps right up to 2467, which is moderate to strong. The size is around 7ft, but the problem is that it’s still pretty cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a bit messy. The period is a solid 16 seconds, though. That’s proper groundswell, and for a beach/jetty setup, that long period can make it a bit straight and hard to find a proper peak. It’s a maybe. The water temp is a balmy 81°F, which is about average for this time of year, so you won’t need a hood.

By the 25th and 26th, we’re looking at waves around the 8ft mark, and the energy is ramping up to the 2800-3400 range. Still, the wind is cross-onshore and it’s looking lumpy, so you need to be comfortable in that messy power. It’s big enough to be a handful and some of those conditions will be pushing it for the less experienced. There is some decent size and power in the water, but the quality is lacking.

Around the 28th, we see it jump again, with a predicted 10ft from the south with a 14-second period. The energy is getting serious at 3589. The problem now is it might be too big for this break to really work well, especially for a beginner spot. You’d want to be a solid surfer to handle this.

The real standout, the one that has me a little excited but also a bit wary, is Sunday the 30th of August. The morning brings a huge 15ft SSE swell with a 13-second period, and the energy reading is off the charts at 6831 - that’s strong to very strong. The wind is a light cross-shore, which is about the best we can hope for here. This is the biggest, most powerful swell of the whole period. But, and it’s a big but, this is way oversize for the lineup. It’s a true expert-only session. The wave will be jacking way too big for this spot to be any fun for the average punter. It’s a spectacle, not a surf. The models are saying wind and tide are favorable, but it's just too big. It’s a case of “look, don’t touch.” This looks like one for the jet ski if you're that way inclined, because 15ft is way beyond paddle board territory here.

So, the only real window is the 24th to the 29th, and even that is marginal. The 30th and 31st are huge, but too big for this break. The forecast for that second week, the 25th onward, is promising in size but less certain in quality. Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath just yet. I’d say the pick of the days, if you can handle it, is the 24th morning with that 7ft groundswell, despite the cross-onshore. Everything else after that is either too messy or too big.

Rusty.

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