Big Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, it’s a pretty flat and quiet run. We’ve got a lot of small, weak swell and most of the time the conditions are just poor. There’s a noticeable gap of nothing good for the first several days, and then we’ll get a little tease of something slightly better much later on.

The forecast starts with a real dud. From Tuesday, 11 August through to at least Friday, 22 August, the surf is almost non-existent. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 3ft, and the energy just isn’t there. The combined energy of all swells is mostly in the low to mid hundreds (290 to 498), which is weak. The wind is often offshore or light, but the swell is just too small to do anything with. The water temperature at Big Rock is a whopping 75°, which is 7° warmer than normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year.

Saturday, 15 August, finally shows a little pulse. The morning has a 3ft swell from the southwest with a 16-second period, pushing the combined energy to 565 – still moderate, but a step up. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean. It’s still only marginal, and the tide might be a factor, but it’s the first real chance to get wet. The afternoon sees a 4ft southwest swell, with the energy climbing to 595. The wind stays offshore from the west at 9 mph. It’s not firing, but it’s the best of a pretty average bunch so far.

Things stay mostly poor through the next week, with a few more marginal windows. The small pulse of slightly better energy sneaks in around Wednesday, 26 August. The morning sees a 3ft swell from the southwest with a 16-second period, and the combined energy hits 533. The wind is cross-on from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’ll be a little choppy. The afternoon is the real standout: a 3ft southwest swell with a 16-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 687 – the strongest reading we’ve seen. The wind is lighter, cross-on from the NW at 6 mph, so it’s only a light cross-onshore breeze. It’s still marginal, but given the long stretch of nothing, this is your best bet. It’s a reef break, so that long-period southwest groundswell will wrap in nicely, and the offshore direction is a good match for the optimum west swell direction. Just keep in mind, this is a couple of weeks out, so it’s promising but not locked in.

Big Rock is an advanced reef break, and it’s fairly consistent but can be inconsistent. Crowds are often a thing here, so if you’re heading out for that Wednesday afternoon session, expect some company. For the rest of the period, it’s honestly more of a kitesurfing setup than a paddle surf one, given the bumpy conditions and small swell.

Rusty.

Read more