Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – we’re looking at a bit of a slow start and then a whole lot of not much for the average punter at Big Ben. The first solid chance of something rideable doesn’t really show up until around Saturday the 22nd, but even then, it’s only moderate. The water temp is sitting at about 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Wednesday the 19th right through Friday the 21st with tiny dribbles – 2ft or less from the east and southeast, with weak combined energy (97–142) and onshore or cross-onshore winds. Honestly, it’s pretty flat and messy. Not worth paddling for.

Then Saturday the 22nd morning shows a bit of life. The swell bumps to 3ft from the east with a moderate period of 11 seconds, and we get a nice cross-offshore breeze from the west-southwest. The combined energy climbs to 267, and it’s described as clean. That’s your first real chance – small but workable for a beginner-friendly beach/jetty setup. The afternoon goes cross-shore and a bit chop-chop though, so make the most of the morning.

Sunday the 23rd is marginal at best – 3ft again, but winds go cross or cross-on and the combined energy is decent (208–259), yet the conditions are just questionable. Light cross-shore ripples and a risk of thunderstorms in the arvo don’t help.

Monday the 24th morning is the standout of the whole run. Glassy conditions, 2ft from the east with a 12-second period, combined energy of 265 – this is the cleanest, most inviting setup we get. It’s small, but for a beginner spot, that glass makes it beautiful. Get out there early.

From Tuesday the 25th, it starts getting serious. The swell jumps to 7ft from the south-southeast, with combined energy around 2388–2668, and moderate cross-shore winds. That’s getting a bit hefty for beginners – better suited to those with some time in the water. The period is 14–15 seconds, a solid groundswell, but the cross-shore chop keeps it from being perfect.

Wednesday the 26th pushes into proper big-wave territory – 10ft from the south, 16-second period, combined energy hitting 5105. The forecaster even says it’s too big for this break. That’s expert-only, and even then, the afternoon turns cross-onshore and choppy.

Thursday the 27th through Friday the 28th sees 12ft to 16ft southerly swell, with energy up over 7800 and even 5430. The wind is messy – onshore or strong cross-shore. This is not paddle surfing water; if you’ve got a kite, this setup might look interesting, but for a board, it’s a hard pass.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th drop back to 5ft–7ft from the south-southwest with lighter cross-shore winds, but the combined energy is still moderate (1065–542), and the comments say marginal. Some windows might open up if the thunderstorms hold off, but it’s not a reliable call.

Monday the 31st fades fast – 4ft down to 2ft, with poor surf conditions and moderate to fresh cross-shore winds. Not much to write home about.

Into September, Tuesday the 1st serves up a massive 18ft from the south-southeast with 15-second period and fresh cross-shore winds – energy over 14028. Too big for this break, and the wind is lumpy. Wednesday the 2nd still has 7ft–7ft with fresh winds and lumpy chop, and by Thursday the 3rd we’re back to 4ft–4ft from the east with longer period (15–16 seconds) but still marginal with moderate cross-shore winds.

So the honest summary: if you want clean and small, Monday the 24th morning is your session – glassy, knee-to-waist high east swell, and just about as good as it gets here. For bigger but still manageable, Saturday the 22nd morning is a decent runner-up. Everything else is either too small, too big, too windy, or too uncertain. This break is inconsistent, so a slow run like this isn’t unusual.

Stay hopeful – forecasts change.

Rusty.

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