Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cooking at Big Ben for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a slow burner to start. We’ve got a stretch of mostly poor conditions, with a lot of cross-shore and onshore wind. The swell energy is bouncing around, but nothing’s really clicking for a clean, solid session.

The first chance to get wet is on Wednesday morning, July 22nd. The wind is light and cross-offshore, which will clean up the 3ft swell from the east, with a 10-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 243. It’s not big, but it’s clean. Water temp is about average for the season.

Thursday morning, July 23rd, is a real gem. The swell drops to 3ft from the east, still with a 10-second period, but the wind goes glassy. That’s a huge plus. The combined energy is weak at 163, but for a beginner-friendly spot, those glassy conditions will make for some fun, easy waves. It’s a beach and jetty setup, so the longer period isn’t a big deal.

Then we hit a long dry spell. From Friday, July 24th, through early next week, conditions are poor. There are some pulses of longer period swell from the southeast, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the waves are small and messy. Not worth a paddle.

Things start to ramp up around Tuesday, July 28th, but it’s still messy. Then on Wednesday, July 29th, the swell really kicks in. We’re looking at a 7ft swell from the SSW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1471. That’s strong. But the wind is a strong cross-shore at 16 mph, making it lumpy. It’s a marginal call, and this size is already too big for beginners.

The standout for the whole run is Saturday morning, August 1st. The finder says the wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. We’re talking a 10ft swell from the SSE with a 10-second period, and a massive combined energy of 1685. That’s a ton of water. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it would be clean, but this is expert-only territory. For a beginner spot like Big Ben, it’s just too much. After that, it backs off quickly through Sunday and into the next week, with smaller, onshore-affected waves.

So, the best bets: the clean, glassy morning on Thursday, July 23rd for small, fun waves, and the big, powerful – but expert-only – swell on Saturday, August 1st. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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