Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks at Big Ben.

Straight up, the first few days are pretty ordinary. From Wednesday the 15th to the weekend of the 18th and 19th of July, it’s flat to small and messy. There's a bit of knee-high swell around, but it's coming from the east with short periods and cross-onshore or onshore winds. The water temp is sitting at 77°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year. Honestly, there's not much to get excited about. The combined wave energy is weak, and the surf quality is just poor.

The first glimmer of hope comes on Monday morning the 20th of July. It's small, around 4ft from the east, but the wind goes glassy. That's a major positive. The combined energy picks up to a moderate level, and the early session will be clean with no wind. The swell is short period though, under 8 seconds, so it won't have much punch. It's a beginner-friendly wave, but given it's inconsistent, you'll need to be patient. An okay start to the week.

Now, Tuesday the 21st of July is a standout. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. We've got a clean 5ft east swell with glassy conditions. The swell period is a reasonable 10 seconds, and the combined energy is strong. The water is still warm, and the offshore wind is perfect. This is the best wave on offer in the first week. It's a beach/jetty break, so it'll be a bit crumbly with the short period, but the clean conditions will make it surfable. The crowd factor is "sometimes," so you might have company, but it won't be a zoo.

The rest of that week and into the next weekend sees the swell hang around the 3ft to 5ft mark, but the wind goes cross-shore or cross-onshore, and there are a few risk of thunderstorms around. The combined energy stays moderate. The waves are marginal, and the wind messes them up. The 22nd and 23rd of July have a longer period (11 seconds) which is better for shape, but the cross winds make it choppy.

There's a dry spell through the 25th and 26th of July. The swell drops right off, and it's not worth paddling out.

Then things get interesting again. The 29th and 30th of July look like a serious pulse. On Wednesday morning the 29th, we see a 5ft southeast swell with a very long 15-second period. The combined energy is massive. This is a proper groundswell. The wind is light and onshore, but the size and period are huge. The 30th of July is even bigger, with the swell hitting 6ft to 7ft from the southeast, with a period of 14 to 16 seconds. The combined energy goes through the roof. This is expert territory. The swell is over 8ft on the 30th afternoon, and the wind is a fresh cross-shore, so it'll be lumpy. This is a long-range call, so it's promising but less certain. The very long period means it'll be a ripper at the jetty, but the beach break might close out.

For the whole run, the swell direction is east to southeast, and the optimum swell for Big Ben is southeast, so those later pulses are a match. The first standout is Tuesday morning the 21st for the clean, glassy conditions. The second standout is the Thursday morning the 30th for the sheer size and power, but only for the experts.

Rusty.

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