Surf Forecasts:
Big Ben surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s period, SSE swell with 1,982 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Big Ben this week:
The surf forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big Ben in the next 16 days are 2.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (JST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Ben over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Big Ben.
To be honest, the outlook for this next fortnight is mostly a case of picking your moments. The swell ticks up and down, but the wind is the real story here, and it’s not playing nice most days. For the first week, you’re looking at small to moderate surf, but a lot of cross-shore and onshore wind makes it messy. There is one standout morning early on if you time it right, and then a glassy window a week away, but the long-range stuff is a gamble.
Alright, let’s get into the rundown.
Monday the 24th starts with a bit of juice. The morning session sees a 3ft SSE groundswell with a long 18-second period, and the water temp is sitting at a balmy 82°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year (2°F anomaly). The combined energy is pumping at (1390), so there’s plenty of push. But the wind is a light cross-shore from the SSW at 3 mph, so it’s not perfectly clean. It’ll be surfable, but you'll be sharing it with others as crowds are sometimes a factor. It’s a beach/jetty setup, so this long period swell might want to stand up a bit too straight. The afternoon gets blown out as the wind picks up to 12 mph with the same cross-shore direction, and the swell jumps to 7ft, but it’s rough.
Tuesday the 25th drops off a bit. 6ft swell, but the period drops and the wind is up. Early morning cross-shore at 12 mph is not worth the paddle. The afternoon gets worse with 16 mph wind and the swell backing off.
The middle of the week is pretty grim. Wednesday the 26th has a small 3ft swell but a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind in the afternoon making it a total write-off. Through to the weekend, it’s small and choppy with little to recommend.
Now, the first real standout. Thursday the 27th morning is where you want to be. A clean, 4ft swell from the SW, with a light cross-offshore wind from the W at 9 mph. The downside is the swell period is a very short 6 seconds, so the waves will lack real power. But the clean conditions make it the best of the first week. The energy reading is (346), so it’s workable. Bring a groveller.
After that, things go flat and messy for several days. We’re looking at a gap from Friday the 28th afternoon all the way through to the end of the month with poor conditions and tiny swell. It’s a real lull.
The second standout comes on Monday the 31st morning. This is a sneaky one. The swell is only 2ft from the E, with a 12-second period, but here’s the kicker: the wind is glassy. Absolutely dead from the SW at 3 mph. If you’ve got a longboard, this is your session. The energy is low (183), but clean, glassy waves will make it a fun, easy paddle. The crowds will be there though, so get out early.
The first week of September is a mixed bag. There’s a small uptick on Wednesday the 2nd with a 3ft SSW swell and a long 14-second period, but the wind is messy. The real potential is on the morning of Friday the 4th, but no, it’s cross-shore wind again. Look, the best call in the second week might be Saturday the 5th morning, with a 6ft E swell. It’s not huge, but the period is only 10 seconds. The wind is a gentle cross-shore at 9 mph. The energy is (638), so there’s enough there to get a few waves, but it’s not a standout. It’s a marginal call. You’d be chasing it.
Past that, the swell tries to build again into the second week of September, with a 7ft E swell on Tuesday the 8th afternoon, but it comes with a 19 mph cross-shore wind. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
So in summary, your two best windows are:
- Thursday 27th morning: clean, light offshore, 4ft SW swell. The most reliable of the lot.
- Monday 31st morning: tiny but glassy. Bring the log.
The rest is a lot of waiting. Be patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 26°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Mon morning, fresh winds from the SW by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 6 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | SW 6 | SSW 9 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
670 | 1982 | 968 | 1092 | 911 | 573 | 298 | 278 | 180 | 108 | 222 | 212 | 193 | 139 | 149 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 96 | 103 | 101 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:16PM1.41m | 1:46AM1.34m | 4:31PM1.46m | 2:51AM1.43m | 4:50PM1.50m | 3:40AM1.52m | 5:08PM1.52m | 4:23AM1.58m | 5:27PM1.54m | 5:03AM1.61m | 5:47PM1.54m | 5:42AM1.60m | 6:06PM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:17PM1.13m | 9:13AM0.27m | 9:46PM1.02m | 9:53AM0.22m | 10:14PM0.89m | 10:28AM0.21m | 10:42PM0.76m | 10:59AM0.24m | 11:10PM0.64m | 11:29AM0.31m | 11:40PM0.54m | 11:57AM0.41m | 00:11AM0.46m | ||||||||
5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | |
— | 6:17 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:09 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 6 | S 10 | SSW 9 | E 12 | E 12 | SSW 6 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | E 11 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
621 | 1982 | 968 | 1092 | 911 | 573 | 298 | 278 | 180 | 58 | 212 | 147 | 193 | 139 | 100 | 90 | 71 | 91 | 96 | 103 | 101 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | E 12 | S 15 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 13 | E 13 | S 8 | S 8 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 7 | SW 11 |
670 | 175 | 894 | 311 | 225 | 215 | 121 | 126 | 92 | 84 | 222 | 212 | 50 | 33 | 98 | 89 | 88 | 73 | 68 | 18 | 42 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | SSW 8 | E 11 | S 16 | — | SSE 10 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
99 | 7 | 114 | 401 | — | 67 | 148 | 138 | 98 | 96 | 90 | 75 | 37 | 23 | 38 | 47 | 31 | 41 | 26 | 27 | 27 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 9 | SW 3 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SW 5 | SW 4 | SW 5 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | SW 6 | NE 3 | ENE 5 | E 4 | ENE 4 | E 4 | SE 3 |
— | 41 | 9 | 23 | 29 | 49 | 29 | 41 | 124 | 108 | 50 | 39 | 61 | 49 | 149 | 4 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 18 | 35 | 70 | 70 | 561 | 81 | 35 | 576 | 81 | 0 | 30 | 24 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 6 | 29 | 29 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Chiba | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Big Ben Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Big Ben provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Big Ben can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Big Ben surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Big Ben) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Big Ben may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Big Ben is 3 km (2 miles) from Kawaguchi. If you plan a holiday in Chiba, look for hotels and other accommodation in Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











