Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's get into it. This is a bit of a tricky run for Back Beach. We’ve got a solid, consistent swell coming from the West-South-West, but the devil’s in the details with the wind, and it’s going to be a game of patience for the most part. The water’s sitting at around 66°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no worries there.

The week starts off rough. Thursday the 27th is a write-off with strong, lumpy cross-onshore winds making a mess of the 12ft swell. The wave energy is massive, but it’s all for nothing with those conditions. Friday and Saturday are still marginal, though we see a glimmer of hope on Saturday morning the 29th with a clean cross-off breeze and a 19-second period, long-period groundswell. The swell is small at 4ft, so it’s not a standout, but it’s the cleanest the surf will be for a few days.

Now, the true standout moment is Sunday morning the 30th. We’ve got a clean 8ft swell from the WSW with a 18-second period, and the wind is a light, offshore E breeze at 6 mph. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers, as the size is pushing into the big range. The wave energy is pumping. This is your window. The period is long, so expect longer lulls between sets, but the shape should be good for a beach break setup.

After that, the wind turns onshore again and the quality drops. Monday and Tuesday look poor with messy cross-onshore winds. The swell sticks around, but it’s not worth paddling out in.

Looking further ahead, the second week gets interesting but comes with a big caveat. We’ve got several days where the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. Thursday the 3rd of September has a 10ft swell with moderate cross-shore wind, but it’s already pushing the limit. Then Friday the 4th is a washout with a 15ft swell and strong winds. Saturday the 5th morning has a 15ft swell with light onshore wind, again too big and messy.

The real “big wave” window is Tuesday the 8th of September and Thursday the 10th of September. Both mornings show an 12ft swell with a 16-second period, and crucially, a light NW to E cross-off wind. These are expert-only conditions, and the swell is long-period, which will work best at the point or reef, but at a beach break, it might be a bit too walled up. The wind is clean, though, so it’s an option for the brave.

In summary, the standout is this Sunday morning the 30th of August for a good, clean session. For the big-wave hunters, keep an eye on the 8th and 10th of September, but you’ll need to be on your game. There’s a lot of junk in between, so pick your moments.

Rusty.

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