
Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period, E swell with 208 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m 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 1.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 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's on the cards for Big Ben over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, the first week is a real tough one. We're looking at a long stretch of small, messy waves starting Wednesday the 22nd of July and running right through to the end of the month. The swell is tiny, with a few pulses of weak energy, so there's just nothing to get excited about. Winds are mostly cross or onshore, and the water temp is sitting at a normal 78° for the time of year, but that doesn't help the surf. You're better off leaving the boards in the shed for that whole first week. It's a proper blank run.
Now, hang in there, because things get interesting from the 1st of August. On Saturday the 1st, we see a solid pulse of swell start to build, with ESE groundswell pushing 7ft to 8ft with a very long period of 17 to 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 2522 and 3558, which is strong. But the wind is onshore, and the conditions are just marginal. It's a taste of what's coming.
The real standout – and I mean the only one worth planning for – is Sunday the 2nd of August through Tuesday the 4th. Sunday morning sees a big, powerful ESE groundswell at 10ft and an 18-second period, with a massive 5437 energy reading. That's a lot of water moving. The wind is a light cross-on, so it's not perfect, but the forecast says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert-only territory at Big Ben. It's a beach/jetty setup, so that long-period groundswell might make it a bit straight and tricky, but for the experienced crew, it'll be a wild ride.
Monday the 3rd brings similar size at 10ft, with a clean cross-offshore wind from the NNE in the morning. That's a much better look, but again, it's well over the 8ft mark, so only for the experts. The energy is still huge at 4140.
Tuesday the 4th is actually the best call of the whole period. The swell drops to a still-chunky 8ft from the E, with a 15-second period, and we get a clean cross-offshore wind from the W. The energy is 2779. The forecast says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers". That's the one. It's still big, so only for the experienced, but if you've got the skills and the gear, Tuesday the 4th is the day to be at Big Ben.
Wednesday the 5th sees the swell drop and the wind turn nasty, so it's a short window of quality. The crowd situation at Big Ben is listed as "sometimes", so you might have some company on that Tuesday morning, but it's a quality break when it's on.
So to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The second week fires up with a big, powerful swell, but it's only for the experts. The pick of the bunch is Tuesday the 4th of August.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 31°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 11 | SE 16 | SE 10 | SE 16 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
208 | 208 | 163 | 120 | 85 | 83 | 59 | 59 | 91 | 48 | 87 | 90 | 73 | 79 | 144 | 113 | 70 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 48 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:58AM1.10m | 9:25PM1.38m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:55PM0.85m | 5:01AM0.55m | 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 | ||||||||
4:39 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | |
— | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:49 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 25 |
Feels °C | 34 | 33 | 31 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | SSW 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | SE 10 | ENE 4 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | ENE 8 |
208 | 208 | 163 | 49 | 85 | 83 | 59 | 59 | 76 | 37 | 49 | 16 | 56 | 79 | 144 | 113 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 20 | 32 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 11 | E 10 | SSW 6 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 16 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 6 |
6 | 5 | 18 | 120 | 34 | 24 | 23 | 57 | 53 | 48 | 87 | 54 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 20 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 4 | E 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 14 | SE 14 | SSW 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 9 | NE 8 | SE 10 |
11 | 5 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 91 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 21 | 74 | 72 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 39 | 32 | 48 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | SW 4 | SW 5 | — | — | NE 2 | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | SE 3 | — | E 8 | ENE 8 | — | — | — | WSW 2 | — | NE 3 | NE 8 | — | — |
21 | 28 | 38 | — | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | — | 68 | 90 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 29 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 35 | 1467 | 35 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 35 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
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.










