Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Big Ben.

We've got a serious run of south-east groundswell on the way, but here's the thing: this break is a beach/jetty setup and it's exposed, so it catches everything. That means when the swell gets big, it gets real challenging. The water is sitting at 82° right now, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's a nice bonus.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off for the average surfer. Monday the 3rd sees a 7 ft swell building, but with a moderate cross-off breeze, it's not really coming together. The combined energy is already at 2609 (moderate), but conditions are marginal.

Now, Tuesday the 4th through Thursday the 6th is where it gets interesting, but only for the experts. We're looking at a solid 12 ft to 15 ft south-east swell, with a very long 16-second period. The combined energy is huge – 6292, 7045, even 10311 (very strong) – so there's a ton of power. The wind is a moderate cross-off to cross, so the faces will be clean. But at over 12 ft, this is strictly for the big-wave crew. The beach break setup means it'll be a heavy, shifty paddle-out.

After that, from Friday the 7th through the weekend, the swell drops to 8 ft to 6 ft, but the wind swings onshore and we get a cross-chop. The energy is still moderate but the quality is poor. Not worth paddling out.

The next standout is Monday the 10th of August. Another big pulse of east-northeast swell, 13 ft, with a 13-second period. The combined energy is 9069 (very strong). The morning has a clean, cross-off breeze. But again, 13 ft at a beach break is a beast – only for the hardcore, and even then, it's a question of getting out the back.

The best window for the rest of us looks like Tuesday the 12th of August into Wednesday the 13th. The swell drops to a more manageable 7 ft to 7 ft, still from the east, with a 12-second period (good energy, around 1400-1900). The real winner is Wednesday morning the 12th – the wind goes glassy, dead calm, with a slight SSE air. That's the best call for a clean, fun session for experienced surfers, but it's a smaller window. The crowds at Big Ben are sometimes an issue, but on a glassy Wednesday morning mid-week, you might get lucky.

After that, the swell hangs around in the 7 ft to 8 ft range, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and it gets lumpy. From the 15th onwards, we get another big spike of 12 ft on the Saturday, but with cross winds, it's not the one. The final week from the 17th sees the swell fade to 5 ft to 6 ft, with weak energy around 600-900 (weak). The conditions are just average.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best window is Wednesday morning, August 12th – glassy conditions and a solid 7 ft east swell. That's your pick. The big 12 ft+ days on the 4th, 5th, and 10th are for the experts only. Everything else is either too onshore, too lumpy, or too small.

Rusty.

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