Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's break down the next couple of weeks. The short-term is a bit of a bummer. We've got some small, weak swells rolling in, but the winds are mostly onshore or cross-shore, and the wave energy is barely ticking over – mostly in the low hundreds. You're looking at messy, weak 3ft to 5ft waves for the first week, and the scores are low for a reason. The water temp is sitting at 83°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it's not cold.

Tuesday the 1st starts us off with a tiny 3ft ESE swell at 12 seconds at Big Ben, but with a cross-wind and a combined energy of only 330, it's honestly not worth a paddle. The whole first week drags by – through Wednesday the 2nd, Thursday the 3rd, Friday the 4th, Saturday the 5th, and Sunday the 6th – all with weak, onshore-influenced slop barely breaking. There's a stretch from the 3rd to the 7th where conditions are consistently poor, with rain and light chop. It's grim.

Then we hit Monday the 7th. There's a little pulse, with 6ft of swell from the East at 7 seconds on that afternoon, and combined energy bumps up to 458. The wind goes light and cross-off, so the surface cleans right up. It's still a short-period windswell, so not the best shape, but it's the first sign of life. The score for the morning was a 2, but the afternoon was the same, so it's a minor pick-up.

But hold onto your boards, because Tuesday the 8th is where things get interesting. The early morning at Big Ben is flat calm – glassy, with no wind. A solid 10ft swell from the SSE at 10 seconds has turned up, and the combined energy is a whopping 1779. The only problem? That 10ft is way too big for this beginner-friendly beach/jetty break. It's a stand-out for size and conditions, but only for experts, and if you're not one, give it a miss. The afternoon only gets bigger, with 13ft. Wednesday the 9th is even more massive – 15ft in the morning and 13ft in the afternoon, with 12-second periods and energy soaring over 5000. Again, cleanest conditions, but all of it is for experts only at Big Ben.

From Thursday the 10th through to Saturday the 12th, the onshore winds blow hard again – 18-28 mph straight on – and the ocean will be a mess despite the 10ft to 7ft swell. Don't bother.

Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th see the size hang around the 7ft to 8ft mark, but the cross-onshore winds chop it all up. Not great.

Then Tuesday the 15th delivers a monster: a 20ft ESE swell with a long 14-second period, and an incredible 13605 combined energy. But it's under a storm risk and cross-onshore winds, so while the raw power is insane, the conditions are foul.

The best window actually looks like the tail end. Wednesday the 16th is your true standout. The morning has a 6ft swell from the East at 14 seconds, with moderate cross-shore winds. The combined energy is still high at 2822, but the size is back into a manageable range. That's a long-period groundswell, which means proper lines and shape, especially for a beach/jetty like this. The water's clean, the wind's not terrible, and it's the best balance of power and surfability in the whole forecast.

Rusty.

Read more