Big Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Lookin’ at the next sixteen days, I gotta be straight with ya – it’s a long, flat wait ahead. The first solid stretch of any kind of surf worth paddling out for doesn’t turn up until the very end of August. We’re talkin’ nearly two weeks of nothin’ but tiny, weak swells and not a single window where the stars align. The break we’re stuck with is Big Rock, a reef setup that needs a good SW groundswell to fire, but the wind’s almost always blowin’ straight onshore – that’s a WNW wind, and it’s gonna mess up whatever little bump we get.

From Friday, August 14, right through to Wednesday, August 26, it’s grim. Swell heights hover around 1ft to 4ft, mostly from the SW, with periods mostly in the 13 to 18 second range – so there’s some decent energy in there, but it’s all wasted. The combined swell energy sits between 160 and 712 (moderate), but it doesn’t matter ‘cause the wind is onshore or cross-onshore almost the whole time. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothin’ to write home about. You’ll see plenty of “poor surf conditions” in the notes. It’s just not happenin’.

Then, finally, on Thursday, August 27, things start to stir. We get a spike – morning sees 6ft from the SSW with a 14-second period and a combined energy of 1329 (strong). The wind is light cross-onshore, but still clean enough to be interesting. By afternoon, it bumps to 6ft from the SSW, 14 seconds, energy at 1628 (strong). It’s still a light onshore breeze, but the notes say “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so it’s not a total write-off.

But the real standout – the one you’ve been waitin’ for – is Friday, August 28. Big Rock gets a solid 7ft swell from the SW, period around 14 seconds, and the combined energy is crankin’ at 1828 (very strong) in the morning and 1599 in the afternoon. The wind is a light breeze, cross-onshore but light enough that it’ll be glassy in places. Now, here’s the thing – at 7ft, this is expert territory only. It’s a big, powerful groundswell hittin’ a reef break, so only the experienced crew should even think about it. The notes actually say “wind and tide favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break,” which tells me the wave is gonna be a heavy, jackin’ beast. If you’re a solid charger, this is your day. Crowds are likely at Big Rock – it’s a spot that’s “often” busy, and on a day like this, you can bet the locals will be out. The swell direction (SW) matches the optimum direction for the break (W), so it’s got proper shape potential, but it’ll be a handful.

Saturday, August 29, it drops back to 6ft from the SW with an 11-second period and energy of 787 (moderate). The wind is light and onshore again, so it’s back to a marginal, messy vibe.

So if you’re a punter lookin’ for a fun, clean wave, you’re outta luck for the whole sixteen days. The only real action is that big Friday, August 28 session at Big Rock for the experts. For everyone else, it’s a dry spell. Keep an eye on the forecasts – this place tends to have better runs than this.

Rusty.

Read more