Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board, I’m Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s coming down the line for us. We have one main spot lighting up on the forecast: Big Ben, a beach and jetty setup that's exposed to the swell. It’s an inconsistent spot, so when it does start showing, we need to pay attention.

Right now there’s no real surf to get excited about for the first few days. The weekend is a bit of a washout, with small, choppy conditions. We’ve got light cross-onshore winds making things messy and really weak wave energy (985) on Sunday morning the 2nd. It’s not worth paddling out.

Monday the 3rd sees a jump in energy, but the winds are fresh and the surf quality is still marginal. The real story begins on Tuesday the 4th of August. The swell jumps up, coming in from the SE with waves hitting 12 ft. Now, that’s a proper amount of water. The combined energy is strong at 5811, and it's a long-period groundswell at 16 seconds. That’s the kind of energy that lines up. The morning has clean, cross-offshore winds from the NE. This is the standout window for the week — it’s big, clean, and powerful. However, at 12 ft, this is strictly for experienced surfers. Beginners, stay on the sand. The water temp is normal for the time of year at 81°, so no wetsuit needed.

Wednesday the 5th keeps the heavy stuff coming with 15 ft swell from the SE, and again clean in the morning with cross-offshore winds. The energy is very strong (11070). This is still expert-only territory. The swell direction from SE is a good match for the optimum direction for the break.

After that, we’ve got a solid run of big surf through to the 7th of August, but the wind starts to turn more onshore, making it lumpy. By the 8th and 9th, the swell is backing off, and we’re looking at choppier conditions. There’s a long gap of days after that where the surf is either too big and messy or just small and poor.

Looking further ahead, Tuesday the 11th of August brings another pulse of ENE swell at 8 ft to 10 ft. The morning of the 11th has clean cross-off winds from the north. The energy is moderate to strong (2865), but the period drops to 12 seconds, which is still decent. This could be a good option for intermediate surfers, but the bigger afternoon session (10 ft) is again for experts only.

Wednesday the 12th still has big 12 ft surf in the morning, but by Thursday the 13th, the winds go lighter and the swell is still big but period drops off. This is a long stretch of days that will be too big and powerful for the average surfer, and the inconsistent nature of the break makes it a gamble for everyone else.

The very end of the forecast, around Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th, looks like it's falling apart. Small, weak, and choppy again. Overall, the pick of the entire 16-day window is clearly the Tuesday the 4th morning session at Big Ben. It’s big, it’s clean, and the groundswell has real weight. If you’re an expert, that’s your window. There’s a good stretch of big surf after that, but the wind quality drops. Keep an eye on the morning windows for the cleanest conditions.

Until next time, keep your head on a swivel.

Rusty.

Read more