Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Back Strands for the next couple of weeks. It’s a rough start, no two ways about it. Wednesday and Thursday we’ve got some serious size—up to 13 feet Thursday afternoon—but the wind is blowing strong cross-onshore and it’s just messy, lumpy chaos. Water temp is about 60°F, which is a touch warmer than normal, nothing wild.

Thursday’s got the most energy of the whole stretch, with the combined swell energy sitting at 5105, but it’s useless with that wind. That’s a blown-out, dangerous mess—over 8 feet, and only for experts anyway, but with that chop, it’s a hard pass.

Friday morning drops to about 8 feet at 13 seconds, and we get a slight cross-offshore, but it’s still marginal, with tide issues and the afternoon turning back into cross-shore slop. Saturday is more lumpy cross-onshore junk. We’re wasting some decent swell on bad wind.

Then Sunday the 20th, things start to turn. We get a light cross-offshore breeze and a clean 7 feet at 12 seconds. Energy is 1001—moderate but clean. That’s a proper surfable day, and the swell direction is from the WNW. Sunday afternoon backs off to about 6 feet, still clean. Monday the 21st is smaller—around 5 feet at 11 seconds—but clean with light winds. Good small-wave day.

Now, Tuesday the 22nd is the one. Morning has 5 feet at a very long 16 seconds with a slight offshore breeze. But the afternoon is the real gem—glassy, 7 feet at 15 seconds, energy at 1963. That’s clean, powerful groundswell with zero wind. For experienced surfers, this is the best of the run. The long period means better shape, but at a beach break, it might be a bit straight, so pick your spot.

Wednesday the 23rd drops off to about 5 feet at 13 seconds, clean but nothing special. Thursday the 24th is down to around 4 feet, ordinary.

Then Friday the 25th gives us a second pulse—offshore winds, clean, and we jump back up to 5 to 6 feet at 15–16 seconds. Energy is 1134. It’s promising, but not quite as big or clean as Tuesday. Still, a solid day if you missed the first one.

From there, it fades fast. Saturday the 26th has about 4 feet at 13 seconds, glassy in the afternoon. Then Sunday the 27th onward, it just drains. By Monday and Tuesday, we’re down to around 2 feet, and the energy numbers are in the double digits—80s, 70s, 30s. Weak. Wednesday the 30th and Thursday the 1st are basically flat, with a few knee-high ripples. The last day is glassy but only 2 feet—not worth the paddle.

So here’s the deal: the first few days are a write-off, don’t waste your time. The standout is Tuesday the 22nd—that’s the clean, powerful day you want to be out for. Friday the 25th is the second-best, with good offshore wind and solid groundswell. After that, it slowly dies. Crowds on Back Strands are only sometimes a problem, so on the good days you’ll have some room.

For beginners, Tuesday’s 7 feet is over the limit—too big. Friday’s 5 to 6 feet is borderline. If you’re learning, wait until Saturday morning when it’s still clean and around 4 feet.

That’s the long and short of it. Not a perfect run, but there are a couple of magic windows if you’re patient. Keep an eye on that Tuesday forecast.

Rusty.

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