Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ down the pipe for Back Beach over the next couple of weeks. Got a bit of a mixed bag ahead, but there’s definitely a few windows to get stoked about.

Right off the bat, we’re in a wild one. Sunday morning (August 9th) is crankin’ with a massive 14.8-foot swell from the WSW, but it’s got such a long period of 17 seconds that this is a serious groundswell. The energy is absolutely pumping – we’re talkin’ 10629 in the combined energy department, which is strong to very strong. Water temp’s sittin’ at 66.9°, dead average for this time of year. But here’s the thing – this swell is way too big for Back Beach. It’s an exposed beach break and that size with that period will just be a washing machine. Only for the absolute top-shelf experts, and even then it’s a risk. The wind’s light and offshore from the NE in the morning, so the surface’ll be clean, but the sheer power makes it a no-go for most. Sunday afternoon cleans up a bit to 13.1 feet, still a groundswell around 16 seconds, with glassy cross-offshore breezes from the NNW. Again, too big for a fun session.

The big stuff keeps rollin’ into Monday the 10th, but now we’ve got a strong onshore wind. Morning sees 22 mph from the W, makin’ it a choppy, lumpy mess on 7.9-foot swell. Then the wind swings SW and cranks up to 28 mph in the afternoon with 11.5 feet of onshore slop – just a write-off.

Tuesday the 11th serves up more oversized swell – 13.1 feet from the SW with a 16-second period. Morning has a light cross-offshore breeze from the E, so it’s clean, and Tuesday afternoon goes totally glassy with a 3 mph SSW wind. The conditions are perfect, but the swell is still too big for this break. The energy’s still massive, around 8568. A real tease.

Wednesday the 12th, we finally start to see a drop. Morning’s 9.8 feet from the SW with a 15-second period, light east wind, clean as a whistle – but again, too big for a comfortable session here. The afternoon lets down a bit with a cross-on shore breeze from the S at 9 mph, and the swell’s down to 8.2 feet but lumpy.

Thursday the 13th is more of the same – 9.8 feet in the morning, clean with light east winds, still a groundswell around 16 seconds. Way too big. Afternoon gets choppy with a 12 mph S cross-on breeze. You’re getting the picture – Back Beach is just getting hammered.

Now, let’s talk about the first real chance for a decent paddle. Friday the 14th morning, we’ve got a 9.8-foot groundswell from the SW, but the wind is offshore from the ENE at 9 mph, and it’s clean. Still on the big side for most. But look at Friday afternoon – the swell drops to 8.2 feet from the WSW, still a groundswell with 16-second period, and the wind goes light cross-offshore from the E at 6 mph. The conditions are clean and the energy is 3644 – moderate to strong. This is the pick of the week. It’s still only for experienced surfers, but the wave quality should be there, and the offshore component will hold the faces open.

Saturday the 15th sees a proper drop. Morning has a 6.9-foot WSW swell with a 14-second period, and a moderate offshore breeze from the NE at 12 mph. Clean, but the wind is a little strong to be perfect. Afternoon goes even smaller at 6.2 feet, with a light cross-shore from the SSE at 6 mph – marginal, but could be a fun grovel on a longboard.

Sunday the 16th keeps the 7.2-foot swell from the WSW. Morning has a fresh 22 mph offshore from the NNE, so it’ll be blown out and hard to surf. Afternoon is a cross-shore from the WNW at 12 mph, with some chop. Not ideal.

Monday the 17th, we get another pulse – 11

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