Big Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looks like we’ve got a bit of a wait for the good stuff at Big Rock. The first few days are pretty rough, but hang in there.

We’re looking at a solid run of surf, but the best window shapes up from Tuesday the 15th through Monday the 21st of September. The standout period is Tuesday morning, September 15th, with clean conditions.

Alright, let’s start at Big Rock, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the swell.

The opening weekend, Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th, is a write-off. We’ve got onshore winds howling at 19–31 mph, with swell heights of 7 ft to 12 ft, but the wind is just wrecking it. Poor surf conditions.

Monday the 14th sees a big improvement. The wind swings to the southeast, giving us clean cross-offshore breezes. Swell is a chunky 12 ft from the SW with a long period of 14 seconds, and a combined swell energy of 5069–5140 (moderate to strong). It’s still a bit much for beginners (over 5 ft), but for experienced surfers, that’s proper. The long period means better shaped waves, but at a reef like this, it should handle it well.

Now, Tuesday the 15th is the pick of the first week. Morning shows excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers. Swell is 10 ft from the WSW, period 14 seconds, energy at 3483. The wind is light offshore from the ENE at 6 mph – that’s glassy, clean conditions. Slightly less energy than Monday, but the offshore breeze will make it much better. This is the one to circle.

Wednesday the 16th drops off a bit. Swell is still 6 ft from the SW, but the wind picks up from the NNE at 16 mph, crummy cross-offshore. The energy is down to 1133. Not terrible, but not great.

Thursday the 17th is similar – messy wind, swell around 5–6 ft. A gap then opens up.

Friday the 18th is a complete blowout. Gale-force winds, 40–44 mph from the NW and WNW, and swell at 10–12 ft. That’s kite-surfing territory, not for surfboards. We skip it.

Saturday the 19th gets interesting again. Morning sees a massive 18 ft swell from the SW, period 14 seconds, with a huge energy reading of 11324. The wind is a fresh cross-shore from the south at 22 mph, so it’s lumpy. That’s experts-only, and honestly, it might look better for kites again. The afternoon cleans up: wind shifts SSE at 12 mph, cross-offshore, and the swell is still a solid 15 ft. That’s a proper session for the brave.

Sunday the 20th holds – morning is clean with light cross-offshore breeze, 12 ft SW swell at 14 seconds. Energy is 5239. Afternoon gets a light onshore breeze, but still ok.

Monday the 21st is a standout in the second week. Morning is messy with onshore wind, but Monday afternoon is special. Wind is south at 16 mph, cross-offshore, giving clean waves. Swell is 15 ft from the SW with a long period of 16 seconds, and energy is 10419 (very strong). That’s a huge, clean swell for experienced surfers.

Then Tuesday the 22nd morning is the absolute best of the entire outlook. Exceptional surf conditions for expert surfers. Wind is light offshore from the ESE at 6 mph – glassy. Swell is 13 ft from the SW with a very long period of 15 seconds, and energy is 6599. That’s a groundswell with perfect wind. Keep in mind, long period swells like this can break a bit fast at some spots, but on a reef like Big Rock, it should line up beautifully. This is the one.

From Wednesday the 23rd onward, the swell slowly backs off to 8–13 ft, but the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore for most of the rest of the period. There are some cleanish moments on Friday morning the 25th, but the wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not as clean as the earlier standouts.

The weekend of the 26th and 27th has 13 ft+ swell, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. Sunday morning the 27th has a clean cross-offshore from the SSE at 22 mph, but that’s a fresh breeze, so it’ll be lumpy.

Bottom line: The first week is a wash until Monday the 14th. The true standouts are Tuesday morning September 15th for excellent conditions, and Monday afternoon September 21st and Tuesday morning September 22nd for exceptional, clean, heavy swell. Mark your calendar.

Rusty.

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