Back Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 174.02° E

Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 03 Oct 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Back Beach sea temperature is
14.0°C
0.3° 

Back Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Back Beach surf forecast from 3 Oct 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 9 Oct, 1AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 9 Oct, 7AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 17s period, WSW swell with 2,378 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 4 Oct, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period with WSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Back Beach this week:

The surf forecast for Back Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Oct 04) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Back Beach in the next 16 days are 2.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Oct 09) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Oct 04) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Sun 4th Oct)4.5ft (1.4m) 14s
Best Surf 1AM (Fri 9th Oct)6.5ft (2.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 7AM (Fri 9th Oct)6.5ft (2.0m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Beach over the next 16 days.


Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Sat night, calm by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
3
Sunday
4
Monday
5
Tuesday
6
Wednesday
7
Thursday
8
Friday
9
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
0
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
3
3
2
3
2
1
4
4
3
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
WSW
14
1.1
WSW
11
0.8
WSW
14
1.3
WSW
14
1.3
WSW
14
1.4
WSW
14
1.3
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
13
1.1
WSW
13
0.9
WSW
16
1.3
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
17
1.1
WSW
16
1.1
WSW
16
1.2
WSW
15
2
WSW
14
1.9
WSW
16
1.8
WSW
16
1.7
WSW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
508
313
261
732
682
690
545
528
414
390
848
724
724
857
575
568
596
1526
1967
1675
1209
Wind (km/h)
15
WSW
10
SSW
35
SE
25
SE
15
W
15
ESE
10
NE
10
WNW
5
ESE
10
NNE
10
NW
5
NNE
15
NNE
15
N
10
E
20
SE
15
SSW
15
ESE
10
SE
10
SSW
15
ESE
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-off
cross-off
on
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross
off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
off
High Tide
3:26PM3.00m
4:07AM2.84m
4:51PM2.89m
5:31AM2.78m
6:16PM2.92m
6:47AM2.83m
7:26PM3.04m
7:54AM2.96m
8:23PM3.19m
8:50AM3.11m
9:12PM3.32m
9:37AM3.25m
9:55PM3.40m
Low Tide
9:54PM1.02m
10:19AM1.06m
11:13PM1.09m
11:44AM1.10m
00:34AM1.02m
1:05PM0.98m
1:45AM0.84m
2:10PM0.78m
2:40AM0.63m
3:02PM0.58m
3:26AM0.44m
3:47PM0.42m
light rain
light rain
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:56
—
—
6:54
—
—
6:54
—
—
6:52
—
—
6:50
—
—
6:48
—
—
6:48
—
—
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
—
7:29
—
—
7:30
—
—
7:30
—
—
7:31
—
—
7:32
—
—
7:34
—
—
7:35
—
 mm
1
1
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3
2
Temp °C
13
13
9
13
14
12
12
12
10
13
13
10
14
14
13
18
16
16
17
18
15
Feels °C
11
11
2
10
11
8
9
9
8
11
11
8
11
11
10
15
13
12
16
17
13
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Back Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Back Beach Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Back Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Back Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Back Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Back Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Back Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Are you planning a holiday in Taranaki? If you are looking for accommodation near Back Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Taranaki, consider staying in New Plymouth which is 10 km (6 miles) away.

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