Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period, E swell with 1,109 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s 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 Sunday (Aug 16) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big Ben in the next 16 days are 2.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Big Ben's got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty flat and sloppy start. The first noticeable surf isn’t really on the cards until Sunday the 16th, and even then, it’s nothing to write home about. We’ve got a solid gap of a few days with no real recommendations to speak of. The water temperature is sitting right on 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got east swell around 5 ft, but with a cross or cross-onshore breeze messing it up, the wave energy is moderate, but it’s choppy and just not clean. Leave the board in the car.
Sunday 16th we start to see a little life. The morning is still marginal with a 5 ft east-northeast swell and a cross-shore chop, but the afternoon bumps up to 7 ft from the east with a 10-second period. The energy climbs but the moderate cross-shore wind still has it looking a bit lumpy. Still not the one.
Now, Monday 17th is when things get interesting. The morning brings a 7 ft east swell with a 11-second period and light cross-shore wind. The energy jumps to strong. The period is getting up there, which means longer lines and more push. The wind is light, so it could clean up nicely. This is the first real highlight, but it’s still a "marginal" call for the break.
We then hit a bit of a lull from Tuesday 18th right through to Saturday 22nd. The swell drops right off – we’re talking 1 ft to 4 ft, with rubbish winds and very weak energy. It’s a proper dead spell.
Sunday 23rd is a game-changer. The morning is still a bit messy with a 4 ft south-southeast swell and light cross-onshore, but the energy is very strong. Then, check this out – the afternoon goes glassy. We’ve got a 7 ft south-east swell with a 14-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is massive. This is a standout for experienced surfers. That long period groundswell will be hitting the beach break, but with that size, it’s going to have some serious power.
Monday 24th is the absolute peak. The morning is glassy again, with an 8 ft south-southeast swell and a very long 16-second period. The energy is enormous. This is the best of the lot. The wind is nowhere, the waves will have incredible shape and heaps of push. It’s big, though, so this is strictly for the experienced crew. The afternoon swell jumps to 12 ft, which is too big for the break.
Tuesday 25th the swell holds at a massive 12 ft to 15 ft, but again, that’s too big for Big Ben, even with favourable wind. The same goes for Wednesday 26th morning with a 10 ft east swell before it drops back down.
From Thursday 27th onward, it fades out fast, with small 2 ft to 4 ft swells and poor conditions right through to the end of the outlook.
So, the real standout here is the Sunday 23rd afternoon glassy session with the 7 ft south-east groundswell, and the absolute winner is Monday 24th morning – 8 ft of clean, glassy, long-period swell. That’s the one to circle on the calendar.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Tue morning, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
414 | 580 | 590 | 590 | 512 | 557 | 563 | 552 | 407 | 363 | 855 | 1109 | 1069 | 840 | 432 | 206 | 166 | 172 | 88 | 62 | 80 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:41PM1.52m | 4:43AM1.58m | 6:02PM1.53m | 5:24AM1.59m | 6:22PM1.53m | 6:04AM1.56m | 6:42PM1.52m | 6:45AM1.49m | 7:03PM1.51m | 7:29AM1.39m | 7:24PM1.50m | 8:20AM1.27m | 7:46PM1.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:54AM0.14m | 11:08PM0.81m | 11:26AM0.18m | 11:38PM0.70m | 11:57AM0.26m | 00:10AM0.61m | 12:25PM0.38m | 00:43AM0.54m | 12:52PM0.51m | 1:20AM0.50m | 1:17PM0.66m | 2:01AM0.49m | 1:39PM0.82m | 2:52AM0.50m | |||||||
4:56 | — | — | 4:56 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | |
— | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:23 | — | |
mm | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | S 9 |
414 | 580 | 590 | 590 | 512 | 32 | 563 | 552 | 407 | 157 | 855 | 1109 | 1069 | 840 | 432 | 206 | 166 | 172 | 88 | 62 | 80 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SE 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ENE 8 |
86 | 85 | 59 | 32 | 47 | 28 | 93 | 80 | 65 | 55 | 50 | 31 | 25 | 24 | 40 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 49 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 12 | S 12 | SE 11 | SSW 12 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSW 9 | SE 12 | — | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SW 8 | SSW 8 | SW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SW 9 | SE 10 |
2 | 13 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 45 | 49 | 24 | 47 | 36 | — | 19 | 30 | 30 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 50 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | — | — | ENE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 2 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 6 | SW 4 |
— | — | — | — | — | 557 | — | — | — | 363 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 29 | 29 | 22 | 29 | 29 | 81 | 48 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 6 | 81 | 24 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 1500 | 24 |
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.











