Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking.

Alright mate, we’ve got a bit of a story unfoldin’ over the next couple of weeks. The opening week has a slow start with small, messy waves. But the back end of the forecast, especially around the weekend of the 5th and into early September, is where things get seriously interesting.

Big Ben is the only break on the radar. It’s a beach and jetty setup, exposed to the southerly quadrants. It’s inconsistent, so don’t expect a wave every minute.

Right now, we’ve got a long-period groundswell (16 seconds) pushing in at about 7 feet from the SSE on Monday the 24th. The water is sitting at a warm 82°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. The problem is a moderate cross-shore wind is putting a cross-chop on it, and the wave comment calls it marginal. The combined energy is strong at 2205. It’s surfable, but expect some bumpy faces. Tuesday the 25th is in the same boat – 7 feet and then 6 feet from the S, but the wind stays cross, and the energy drops to 1670 and then 1149. It's a bit of a grind.

Wednesday morning the 26th is a tease. The swell drops to 3 feet from the SSW, but the wind goes cross-offshore and the wave comment says "clean". The energy is moderate at 637. It would be clean, but it's small. Then Wednesday afternoon, the wind cranks up to 19 mph from the SW, making it a lumpy mess, and the score plummets. Thursday the 27th morning stays small at 3 feet with cross-off wind, but the real window opens Thursday afternoon. A glassy 3 feet wave from the S with a period of 10 seconds, offshore wind, and the wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions". The energy is moderate at 525. That's your best bet for the first week.

From Friday the 28th through to Tuesday the 1st of September, we’re in a dry spell. The swell drops to 2 to 3 feet from the E. There’s a moment of flat calm, glassy conditions on Monday morning the 31st, but the waves are tiny. It’s a long, quiet patch for about 5 days.

Then things start to rumble again. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd of September see a new SSW swell build. It goes from 3 feet to 4 feet, with the period staying between 10 and 13 seconds. The energy climbs from 269 to 693. The wind is cross-onshore though, so it stays a bit choppy. It gets bigger Friday the 4th, with a 5 foot morning building to 6 feet in the afternoon from the SSW, period up to 14 seconds (getting long), and energy jumping to 1315. The wind is light, but it's still cross-onshore.

Now, Saturday the 5th of September is a wild card. The morning brings a massive 8 foot SSW swell with a 13-second period, and a howling 43 mph gale from the WSW. That’s a stormy, dangerous mess – not for paddling. But then! Saturday afternoon, the wind swings to a light offshore from the NNW, and the swell jumps to 12 feet from the SSW with a 13-second period. The energy is a massive 6810. The guidance says it's too big for this break, and I have to agree. At 12 feet, this is expert territory only, and even then, the beach/jetty setup might turn into a washing machine. The long period means it might be a bit straight and dumpy on the sand, not the kind of wave you can just paddle into.

Sunday the 6th of September is still very big at 10 feet from the SSW, with a 13-second period and 2338 energy. The wind is cross-offshore, so it will be clean, but again, it's only for experts. The size drops to 8 feet by Sunday afternoon, and then slowly fades into the next week. There are usable, clean waves for experts on the 5th and 6th, but it’s a real grinder. For most of us, that Saturday afternoon call is just something to watch from the sand.

So, the standout window is Thursday the 27th of August afternoon for a clean, fun little wave. And for the big-wave crew, Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September are the big, clean, powerful swells to look at, if you're charging.

Rusty.

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