
Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, E swell with 3,420 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s period with SSE 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 (Aug 06) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. Big Ben is the only spot on the map for this whole run, and it’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag. Looking at the whole 16 days, the swell is there, but the winds and conditions are gonna keep things pretty average for the most part. There’s one standout window that’s worth circling on the calendar, but you’ll need to be patient and pick your moments.
The first couple of days, Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th, are pretty underwhelming. We’ve got chest-high swell, around 6.5ft to 8ft, but it’s coming from the SSE and S, which is cross to onshore for this setup. The energy is moderate (2573 on Thursday morning), but it’s gonna be chopped up and messy. The period is a solid 13 seconds, so there’s some push, but the wind is just going to ruin any chance of it being clean. Thursday morning is the best of a bad bunch, and even then it’s marginal. Not worth getting wet for, to be honest.
Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are more of the same, with onshore winds and lumpy conditions. The swell drops a touch to 5ft-6.5ft, but the direction is still poor. Sunday morning has a brief window with a light ENE cross-breeze and a bit more energy (2496), but it’s still cross-shore and not great. The period is still 13 seconds, which is good, but the direction just isn’t working for us.
Monday the 10th sees the wind pick up from the NNE, going cross-offshore. The swell drops a bit to 6ft-7ft, but that’s actually a positive because it cleans it up. The morning looks like the better session with clean conditions and a cross-off breeze, but it’s not huge. The energy is still moderate (1857). The afternoon gets windier and lumpy, so you’ll want to be out early.
Now, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. Tuesday the 11th is the standout of the whole run. The morning is looking like the pick of the trip. The wind swings around to a light WSW cross-offshore, which is perfect. The swell is 7.5ft from the ENE with a 10-second period. The energy is moderate (1592), but the conditions are clean. That’s a proper session for the experienced crew. The afternoon, though, is a different story. The swell jumps to 10ft from the NE, and the energy just explodes to 4410. That’s strong, powerful surf. The wind is a cross-shore from the SW at 25 km/h, which is going to make it a bit lumpy. But the bigger issue is the size. 10ft at a beach/jetty spot like this is pushing into expert territory, and it’s forecast to be too big for the break. If you’re a solid surfer, this could be a beast of a session, but for most, it’s a watch-and-enjoy day.
Wednesday the 12th is a strange one. Morning has a long-period groundswell at 18 seconds, but it’s small, only 4.5ft, and the wind is onshore with a risk of thunderstorms. The afternoon, though, the swell jumps back up to 10ft from the E with 14-second period and energy of 4154. Again, too big for this spot. The wind is onshore, so it’s going to be messy. Another day for the experts only, and even then, it’s not ideal.
Thursday the 13th is another big day. The swell holds at 10ft-11.5ft from the ENE and E, with strong energy (4304 in the afternoon). The wind is cross-offshore from the NNE, which means it’s clean, but again, this is way too big for Big Ben. The morning might be slightly more manageable at 10ft, but it’s still a heavy, powerful wave. This is expert-only territory, and even then, you need to know what you’re doing. The period is 11 seconds, which is okay, but the size is the main issue.
After that, the swell starts to back off. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th see the size drop back to 4.5ft-8ft, but the winds are cross-on or onshore, keeping things average. The energy is dropping too (1624 down to 504). The period is still okay at 10-11 seconds, but it’s just not coming together. Sunday the 16th is small, 5ft, with a shorter 9-second period and moderate cross-shore winds. It’s looking like a bit of a washout.
The final few days, from Monday the 17th through Wednesday the 19th, are poor. Swell drops to 3.5ft-5ft,
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 24°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun morning, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | E 13 | E 13 | SW 16 | E 12 | E 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | NE 11 | NE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
2875 | 2090 | 1933 | 1968 | 1335 | 1211 | 1075 | 949 | 838 | 1053 | 1465 | 1376 | 964 | 1039 | 1229 | 1858 | 1118 | 2432 | 2263 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:40AM1.08m | 9:01PM1.40m | 9:44PM1.36m | 4:28PM1.26m | 11:10PM1.33m | 4:23PM1.35m | 00:59AM1.34m | 4:40PM1.42m | 2:16AM1.40m | 5:00PM1.47m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 3:50AM0.55m | 2:28PM0.99m | 5:14AM0.52m | 6:50AM0.45m | 6:32PM1.25m | 8:04AM0.35m | 8:47PM1.21m | 8:59AM0.25m | 9:34PM1.12m | 9:42AM0.17m | 10:08PM1.02m | ||||||||
— | 4:50 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:54 | — | — | 4:54 | — | — | |
6:38 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:32 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 |
Temp °C | 24 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 26 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | ESE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 12 | ENE 10 |
2875 | 2090 | 1933 | 1968 | 1335 | 1211 | 1075 | 949 | 838 | 995 | 1465 | 1376 | 964 | 1039 | 1229 | 1415 | 1118 | 1541 | 1193 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
443 | 458 | 410 | 425 | 424 | 441 | 343 | 385 | 594 | 1053 | 1031 | 1359 | 942 | 598 | 453 | 331 | 304 | 437 | 347 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 17 | ENE 16 | ENE 16 | ENE 15 | ENE 15 | ENE 15 | ENE 14 | E 10 | E 10 | — | — | SE 11 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | — | SE 14 |
27 | 25 | 51 | 46 | 42 | 43 | 41 | 46 | 45 | — | — | 4 | 151 | 189 | 140 | 160 | 170 | — | 47 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | — | ENE 11 | — | NE 11 | NE 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | 1858 | — | 2432 | 2263 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 35 | 81 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 0 | 22 | 35 | 0 | 184 | 29 | 24 | 0 | 229 | 30 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Chiba | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Japan | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











