Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, S swell with 4,905 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Big Ben this week:
The surf forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big Ben in the next 16 days are 3.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – we’re looking at a bit of a slow start and then a whole lot of not much for the average punter at Big Ben. The first solid chance of something rideable doesn’t really show up until around Saturday the 22nd, but even then, it’s only moderate. The water temp is sitting at about 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We kick off Wednesday the 19th right through Friday the 21st with tiny dribbles – 2ft or less from the east and southeast, with weak combined energy (97–142) and onshore or cross-onshore winds. Honestly, it’s pretty flat and messy. Not worth paddling for.
Then Saturday the 22nd morning shows a bit of life. The swell bumps to 3ft from the east with a moderate period of 11 seconds, and we get a nice cross-offshore breeze from the west-southwest. The combined energy climbs to 267, and it’s described as clean. That’s your first real chance – small but workable for a beginner-friendly beach/jetty setup. The afternoon goes cross-shore and a bit chop-chop though, so make the most of the morning.
Sunday the 23rd is marginal at best – 3ft again, but winds go cross or cross-on and the combined energy is decent (208–259), yet the conditions are just questionable. Light cross-shore ripples and a risk of thunderstorms in the arvo don’t help.
Monday the 24th morning is the standout of the whole run. Glassy conditions, 2ft from the east with a 12-second period, combined energy of 265 – this is the cleanest, most inviting setup we get. It’s small, but for a beginner spot, that glass makes it beautiful. Get out there early.
From Tuesday the 25th, it starts getting serious. The swell jumps to 7ft from the south-southeast, with combined energy around 2388–2668, and moderate cross-shore winds. That’s getting a bit hefty for beginners – better suited to those with some time in the water. The period is 14–15 seconds, a solid groundswell, but the cross-shore chop keeps it from being perfect.
Wednesday the 26th pushes into proper big-wave territory – 10ft from the south, 16-second period, combined energy hitting 5105. The forecaster even says it’s too big for this break. That’s expert-only, and even then, the afternoon turns cross-onshore and choppy.
Thursday the 27th through Friday the 28th sees 12ft to 16ft southerly swell, with energy up over 7800 and even 5430. The wind is messy – onshore or strong cross-shore. This is not paddle surfing water; if you’ve got a kite, this setup might look interesting, but for a board, it’s a hard pass.
Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th drop back to 5ft–7ft from the south-southwest with lighter cross-shore winds, but the combined energy is still moderate (1065–542), and the comments say marginal. Some windows might open up if the thunderstorms hold off, but it’s not a reliable call.
Monday the 31st fades fast – 4ft down to 2ft, with poor surf conditions and moderate to fresh cross-shore winds. Not much to write home about.
Into September, Tuesday the 1st serves up a massive 18ft from the south-southeast with 15-second period and fresh cross-shore winds – energy over 14028. Too big for this break, and the wind is lumpy. Wednesday the 2nd still has 7ft–7ft with fresh winds and lumpy chop, and by Thursday the 3rd we’re back to 4ft–4ft from the east with longer period (15–16 seconds) but still marginal with moderate cross-shore winds.
So the honest summary: if you want clean and small, Monday the 24th morning is your session – glassy, knee-to-waist high east swell, and just about as good as it gets here. For bigger but still manageable, Saturday the 22nd morning is a decent runner-up. Everything else is either too small, too big, too windy, or too uncertain. This break is inconsistent, so a slow run like this isn’t unusual.
Stay hopeful – forecasts change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SE 10 | E 9 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 12 | ENE 9 | E 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | S 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
39 | 49 | 39 | 42 | 57 | 57 | 58 | 65 | 66 | 182 | 223 | 198 | 154 | 115 | 110 | 134 | 437 | 618 | 1761 | 1548 | 3510 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 7:46PM1.47m | 9:31AM1.15m | 8:09PM1.44m | 8:37PM1.39m | 9:26PM1.33m | 4:10PM1.33m | 00:01AM1.29m | 4:16PM1.41m | 1:46AM1.34m | 4:31PM1.46m | 2:51AM1.43m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 1:39PM0.82m | 2:52AM0.50m | 1:53PM0.97m | 4:00AM0.52m | 5:40AM0.51m | 7:19AM0.44m | 8:35PM1.23m | 8:26AM0.35m | 9:17PM1.13m | 9:13AM0.27m | 9:46PM1.02m | ||||||||||
5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | |
— | 6:23 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:16 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | E 8 | SSW 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | S 16 |
23 | 22 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 49 | 45 | 65 | 66 | 182 | 223 | 198 | 154 | 83 | 110 | 134 | 437 | 408 | 1761 | 1548 | 3510 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | ESE 12 | E 12 | SW 11 | E 12 | SSE 17 | E 14 | S 18 | E 13 |
39 | 39 | 39 | 42 | 57 | 57 | 25 | 44 | 52 | 47 | 55 | 56 | 31 | 115 | 110 | 73 | 137 | 618 | 302 | 733 | 268 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 5 | SE 10 | SE 5 | S 5 | S 5 | SW 10 | SSW 9 | SE 11 | SW 10 | E 11 | S 18 | E 13 | SW 10 |
35 | 49 | 36 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 58 | 30 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 45 | 55 | 58 | 85 | 152 | 325 | 277 | 39 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | S 3 | SSW 3 | S 5 | SW 4 | — | NE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | — | SW 11 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 10 | — | 16 | 16 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 110 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 70 | 70 | 534 | 70 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Chiba | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Big Ben Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Big Ben provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Big Ben can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Big Ben surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Big Ben) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Big Ben may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Big Ben is 3 km (2 miles) from Kawaguchi. If you plan a holiday in Chiba, look for hotels and other accommodation in Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











