Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Big Ben.

We’ve got a bit of a slow burner this time around. The surf window kicks off on Sunday morning, August 9th, and the standout session is right there at the start. Sunday morning is looking like the pick of the whole run – don’t sleep on it.

Sunday, August 9th – Morning: This is your window. We’ve got a solid 7ft easterly swell rolling in with a long 13-second period, pumping in some real energy (1631). The wind is glassy, dead calm from the ENE at only 3 mph. That’s about as clean as it gets. The water is sitting at 81°, pretty normal for this time of year. This is excellent, but at 7ft with that power, it’s more for experienced surfers. The break is inconsistent by nature, so be patient between sets, but when they come, they’ll be worth the wait. Big Ben (beach/jetty) is exposed to the SE, and this east swell is right in the wheelhouse. Crowds are possible here, so you might have some company.

Sunday afternoon the wind shifts cross-on, and the quality drops off. The rest of the first week is a bit of a mixed bag.

Monday, August 10th sees the wind pick up strong and cross-shore, making things messy. Not your day.

Tuesday, August 11th – Morning: Another clean session sneaks in. A 7ft easterly swell with a 10-second period, and a light cross-offshore wind from the north at 3 mph. This is good, clean surf for the experienced crew. It won’t have the same grunt as Sunday, but it’ll be fun.

Wednesday and Thursday are mostly a write-off with onshore winds and smaller, weaker energy.

Friday, August 14th – Morning: A bit of a return to form. 6ft east swell, clean with a cross-offshore breeze. It’s only a marginal call on the score, but the conditions will be clean. Worth a look if you missed the weekend.

Saturday, August 15th – Morning: Another clean morning with 6ft east swell. The wind is light and cross-off. It’s consistent in its inconsistency, but these clean windows are your best bet.

Sunday, August 16th – Morning: The swell jumps back up to 8ft from the east with an 11-second period, and the energy is cranking (3249). But the wind is cross-shore, so it’ll be lumpy. This one’s for the experts only at that size, but the wind might spoil it.

Monday, August 17th – Morning: Swell hits 10ft. That’s too big for this break, even with favorable wind and tide. This is strictly for the chargers, and even then, it’s pushing the limits. The afternoon drops to 8ft but the wind is messy.

After that, we hit a dry spell. From Tuesday, August 18th through to Friday, August 21st, the surf is poor. The wind is strong and the swell is small and weak. The combined energy drops well below 500 most days. It’s a real gap in quality.

Saturday, August 22nd – Morning: A tiny pulse of 2ft appears, but with a very long 14-second period. The wind is clean and cross-off. This is a long-period groundswell, so it’ll be small but lined up. Better for a longboard or a bigger board, and it’ll be clean.

Sunday, August 23rd offers a bit more size (3ft) but the wind is onshore and the period is long again (12 seconds). It’s marginal.

Monday, August 24th is a complete blowout with strong SW winds. Forget it.

So, to wrap it up: Sunday morning, August 9th is the absolute standout. Get on it. Tuesday morning, August 11th and Friday morning, August 14th are your back-up clean windows. The second week is mostly a write-off, with only a tiny, clean window on the 22nd for the patient longboarder.

Rusty.

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