Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s comin’ up at Big Ben.

Alright, so we’ve got a mixed bag on the cards. There’s no surf worth paddlin’ out for right this second, so we’re looking at a bit of a wait. The first real chance of something decent doesn’t show up until the morning of Monday the 24th of August, and even then we’re just getting a window of real quality before the wind and swell get a bit unruly.

The standout of the whole outlook is without a doubt the Monday the 24th of August, early. We’ve got a solid 4 ft of south-south-east groundswell rolling in, and the period – 18 seconds – is that long, powerful groundswell you feel in your bones. This is proper energy. The best part? Glassy conditions. Dead calm, light air, no wind at all. That’s a dream for a clean face, and it’s an exposed beach and jetty setup so it’ll catch it well. For more experienced surfers, this is the one to circle. Keep in mind though, with a period that long, the sets can be a bit fat and straight on a beach break, but with that low tide and glass, you can make it work.

The water temp is sittin’ at a sultry 81°, which is about average for the time of year, so a summer steamer isn’t needed.

Now, the rest of the period has moments, but nothing that hits that same high. The afternoon of that same day gets a bump up to 5 ft but the cross-shore wind picks up and turns it to chop. Tuesday the 25th has some swell – 7 ft to 8 ft from the south – but the cross-shore winds are gonna mess with the shape.

After that, we hit a rough patch. Wednesday through to the end of August is mostly small and messy with cross-shore winds and poor conditions. There’s a little window on Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of August with a clean cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops to 3 ft at best. Not much push.

Then we move into the first week of September. Monday the 31st of August through to Wednesday the 2nd of September has some push – 4 ft to 6 ft – but it’s mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds, and the period drops off, making it less appealing.

Now, there’s a big one to watch for the more experienced crew. Friday the 4th of September afternoon shows a big southeast groundswell: 10 ft at 13 seconds. That’s a lot of water movin’. However, the forecaster has flagged that this is too big for this break. It’s a beach and jetty setup, and with the onshore-chop, it will be a washing machine. Only for experts and honestly, the conditions will be rough. Saturday the 5th continues with similar oversized swell but again, it’s messy.

We’ve got a final pulse on Sunday the 6th of September: 8 ft from the south-south-east with a very long 14-second period. Again, the wind is onshore and choppy, so it’s not a clean day for Big Ben.

If you’re after the best of the best, that Monday the 24th of August morning is your golden hour. Everything else is waiting on a better wind window.

Rusty.

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