Big Wave Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Big Wave Bay has cooking for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow start, and we’ve got a long wait for anything worth paddling out for.

For the first week, from July 5th right through to July 9th, it’s pretty grim. We’ve got tiny swell, wind is coming straight from the south and cross-onshore, and a good chance of thunderstorms. The combined swell energy stays weak, barely cracking 12 (12) on Sunday morning and even dropping to single digits. Honestly, it’s just poor surf conditions with a fresh breeze making a mess of things. Not worth wetting a wetsuit for.

Then we hit Thursday the 9th. The swell starts to lift a little, hitting 4ft from the southeast with a long 19-second period. The combined energy jumps to 882 (882) – that’s moderate energy now. But the wind is still a light cross-onshore, so the surf is only marginal. We’re getting closer, though.

Now, the standout. Friday the 10th of July is where it’s at. The swell pushes up to 5ft from the southeast, still with that long 17-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1235 (1235). The real kicker is the morning: a light cross-offshore wind from the west-southwest, just a slight air moving. That’s going to clean things right up. Expect very good surf conditions. For a beginner spot like Big Wave Bay, this 5ft southeast swell is right in the wheelhouse. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. Just keep in mind that the swell direction is southeast, and the optimum here is northeast – so it’s a little off, but the size and clean morning wind should still give you some fun, lined-up waves. The afternoon gets a bit more cross-shore, so hit it early.

After that, it drops off a cliff. Saturday the 11th morning has a tiny 1ft leftover, but then it’s back to flat, messy, and windy through the second week. From July 11th all the way to the 20th, we’re looking at a massive dry spell with no real surf. The swell energy is in the single digits or low double figures, winds are onshore or cross-onshore, and the conditions are consistently poor. There’s a brief moment on Saturday the 18th morning with glassy conditions, but the swell is just 0.3ft – not enough to ride. Then on Sunday the 19th, we get clean cross-offshore wind, but again, only 0.3ft of swell. It’s a blank run, and for an area like this, that’s just how it goes sometimes. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s looking like a long wait.

So mark your calendar for Friday the 10th of July, early morning. That’s your best bet. The rest of the window is a washout.

Rusty.

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