
Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, SSW swell with 103 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s is also forecast. 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 1.2m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Big Ben are a mixed bag, and for the most part, it’s pretty quiet. This spot is a beach/jetty setup, and it rarely fires, so don’t expect much. The water temp is sitting at 79.5°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first proper surf we see is on the morning of Thursday, 23rd July, but it’s nothing to write home about. We’ve got a tiny 2.6 ft east swell, with a 10-second period, and a cross breeze from the ENE at 6 mph. The energy is weak (178), and the wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” Not a great start.
Friday, 24th July, is much the same – 2.0 ft to 2.3 ft, short period, still choppy. Saturday, 25th July, sees the swell drop to 1.3 ft, but the period jumps to 16 seconds, which is a long period groundswell. The energy is still weak (191), and the wind is messy. This kind of long period swell at a beach break tends to break too straight, so it’s not ideal.
Sunday, 26th July, offers a tiny glimmer. The morning has a 1.3 ft, 15-second swell from the SE, with a very light onshore breeze at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate (201), and the conditions are described as “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” It’s a score of 1, but that’s the best we’ve seen so far. If you’re desperate, you could paddle out, but don’t expect much.
Monday, 27th, and Tuesday, 28th, are still poor. Tuesday morning, though, has a cross-offshore breeze from the NNE at 6 mph, with a 2.0 ft, 10-second swell. The energy is moderate (165), and the conditions are described as “clean.” This is the first time we’ve seen that word, but it’s still tiny. Score of 1.
Then we hit a gap. From Wednesday, 29th July, through to Friday, 31st July, it’s all poor conditions, with weak energy and messy winds. Nothing to surf.
Now, into the first week of August, things start to change. On Saturday, 1st August, the swell picks up. The morning has a 2.0 ft, 16-second swell from the ESE, with a cross-on breeze at 6 mph. The energy jumps to 289 (moderate), but it’s still marginal. The afternoon sees a better 3.0 ft, 15-second swell, with energy at 480 (moderate), but still only a score of 1.
Sunday, 2nd August, is our first real standout. The morning brings a 6.2 ft, 17-second swell from the ESE, with a very light cross-on breeze at 3 mph. The combined energy is strong (2034), and the conditions are still “marginal,” but it’s a score of 3. The afternoon sees the swell at 6.9 ft, 16 seconds, with energy at 2370 (strong), and a cross-on breeze from the south at 6 mph. This is a decent groundswell, but at 6.2 ft to 6.9 ft, it’s getting into the territory where beginners might struggle. For a beach break, the long period could make it a bit straight, but with the swell direction aligning with the optimum SE direction, it should be okay.
Monday, 3rd August, is the other standout, but there’s a big caveat. The morning has a massive 11.5 ft, 18-second swell from the ESE, with a cross breeze from the SSW at 9 mph. The energy is very strong (7027), and the wind is favorable. But the wave comment says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. Score of 11, but only for experts. At over 8.2 ft, this is not for beginners. The afternoon is the same size, with a cross-on breeze.
Tuesday, 4th August, continues with 13.1 ft, 18-second swell, and energy at 9205 (very strong). Again, too big for the break. Wednesday, 5th, Thursday, 6th, all the same – huge, powerful swell, but it’s going to be a washing machine. The combined energy is in the thousands, so it’s very strong, but the size makes it really only for the most experienced.
Then, on Friday, 7th August, the swell drops back to 4.6 ft, 11-second swell from the ENE, with a cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. Energy is moderate (670), and the conditions are described as “expect very good surf conditions.” Score of 3. This is a clean, surfable size, but it’s a one-off before the forecast ends.
So, my pick for the best on offer is Sunday, 2nd August, with the 6.2 ft to 6.9 ft ESE swell, clean enough conditions, and strong energy. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest we
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu morning, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 11 | SE 16 | SE 10 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 11 | SE 14 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
92 | 85 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 91 | 48 | 87 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 72 | 70 | 103 | 69 | 67 | 65 | 48 | 48 | 45 | 33 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:17PM1.05m | 10:06PM1.36m | 3:23PM1.15m | 11:05PM1.35m | 4:08PM1.27m | 00:24AM1.35m | 4:36PM1.36m | 1:40AM1.39m | 5:02PM1.43m | 2:41AM1.44m | 5:26PM1.48m | 3:33AM1.49m | 5:50PM1.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:28PM1.01m | 6:26AM0.47m | 4:56PM1.15m | 7:40AM0.36m | 7:43PM1.20m | 8:39AM0.25m | 9:04PM1.17m | 9:26AM0.15m | 9:52PM1.11m | 10:08AM0.09m | 10:29PM1.03m | 10:45AM0.06m | 11:02PM0.94m | ||||||||
4:41 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:45 | — | — | |
— | 6:50 | — | — | 6:49 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 30 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 34 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 34 | 33 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | SE 10 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SE 10 | SSW 8 |
92 | 85 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 39 | 37 | 49 | 34 | 51 | 28 | 21 | 67 | 65 | 47 | 34 | 43 | 31 | 26 | 45 | 24 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | NE 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 8 | SE 10 |
33 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 57 | 53 | 48 | 35 | 54 | 73 | 56 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 68 | 67 | 32 | 48 | 48 | 26 | 33 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SE 18 | SE 16 | SE 16 | ESE 4 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 6 | E 9 | SE 13 | SSW 9 | ESE 10 | SE 13 | E 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 |
25 | 25 | 9 | 49 | 43 | 91 | 7 | 87 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 72 | 6 | 14 | 44 | 15 | 65 | 28 | 15 | 10 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 2 | ENE 2 | ENE 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | — | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | SW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | NNE 3 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 |
— | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 14 | — | 4 | 5 | — | — | 6 | 59 | 103 | 69 | 3 | 87 | 38 | 35 | 34 | 28 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 22 | 35 | 6 | 22 | 30 | 30 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 35 | 29 | 22 | 0 | 35 | 6 | 22 | 30 | 30 |
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.










