Big Ben Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the cards for the local stretch.

Well, to be brutally honest, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any decent paddle surfing. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions ahead. The first recommendation for a surf comes up on Tuesday, July 21st, but it’s not a pretty picture. The only break on the radar is Big Ben, a beach/jetty setup that’s exposed to swell. The water temp is sitting at 78°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so that’s one thing not to complain about.

From Tuesday, July 21st right through to the end of July, it’s a real struggle. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 4ft with periods of 9 to 10 seconds. The “combined energy” is weak, hovering between 91 and 321 — that’s not enough to get your heart racing. The winds are a mess, mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the wave comment on every single one of these days is either “poor surf conditions” or “marginal surf forecast.” There’s a brief moment on Wednesday, July 28th morning where it’s clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is only 2ft and the energy is low (132). It’s not really a standout, just less terrible than the rest.

We then hit a big gap of no real recommendations until the very beginning of August. The first glimmer of something bigger comes on Saturday, August 1st. Swell jumps up to 4ft in the morning, but it’s from the SSE with a period of 12 seconds and the wind is onshore. The energy jumps to 777 (moderate), but it’s still looking marginal. The morning of Sunday, August 2nd, has a 5ft swell from the S, 13-second period, and a “combined energy” of 1300 (strong) — that’s a serious amount of water moving around. But again, wind is onshore and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. This is big enough that it’s only for the more experienced crew, as anything over 5ft can be a handful for beginners.

The absolute best on offer, if you can call it that, is looking like the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. We’ve got a 7ft swell from the SSW with a 14-second period (proper groundswell), and the “combined energy” is a hefty 1915. That’s very strong. But the wind is a cross-onshore, making it choppy. It’s still only rated as a marginal forecast. The swell direction from the SSW is not the optimum SE direction for Big Ben, so it won’t be as good as it could be. For a beach/jetty break, that long period (14 seconds) can make it break a bit too straight, but there will be some power in the water. This is for experts only, as it’s over 8ft.

So, no real standouts to rave about. The surf is basically non-existent for the first week and a half, then we get a pulse of bigger, messy, onshore swell at the start of August. The setup at Big Ben is likely to be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing with that strong onshore wind and big, lumpy swell. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a tough run.

Rusty.

Read more