Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The long-range picture for Back Strands is pretty bleak, if I’m being honest. We’ve got a solid stretch of poor surf ahead, but there are a couple of flickers of life right at the back end that might be worth keeping an eye on. This is going to be a patience game, not a paddling game.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a dead zone. From now through the 24th, it’s mostly tiny, weak, and messy. There’s some swell on the 18th and 19th, pushing 5ft to 6ft, but the wind is howling out of the west and southwest, putting a nasty cross-onshore chop on it. The wave energy gets up there – we’re talking moderate to strong energy readings of 270, 351, 422, even 556 – but it's all for nothing, as it’s just lumpy, closed-out, and blown out. You’d be fighting a losing battle out there. Not worth the wetsuit.

The morning of the 15th is clean but tiny, and the afternoon is cross-onshore with terrible waves. Everything from the 16th to the 24th is either too small, too onshore, or just plain junky. There’s a window on the 20th with a smaller NW swell (4ft) and a longer 10-second period, but the NNW cross-onshore wind still ruins it. It’s a no-go.

Now, for the one true standout in this whole sorry outlook. It’s not massive, but it’s the best we’ve got. On the 25th, things finally align. It’s still small at 2ft, but the wind swings around to a light easterly, giving us a clean cross-off breeze. The direction is solidly from the W, which is what this spot wants. The energy is weak (78, 71), but for the first time in over a week, there’s going to be a clean, rideable wave. This will be a longboard or a funboard day, and there could be a few fun ones. It’s a far cry from epic, but it’s the clear winner here. A week later, on the 28th, we get another pulse of similar energy, 3ft from the W with a 10-second period. It’s another clean, cross-off day, and the energy readings of 171 and 208 are moderate. This 28th looks like it might have just a touch more push behind it, making it the pick of the two. It’s still well under the size for any real drama, but it’s clean and rideable. Don’t expect a circus, just a few friends out.

Back Strands (Finder) is a reef setup, and it's fairly consistent, but this forecast has it mostly missing. The water is sitting at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The swell direction is all over the place, but the optimum is from the W, so the 25th and the 28th have that working in their favor. The periods on the 25th are short (9 seconds), but the one on the 28th is a touch longer.

Bottom line: forget the next week and a half. Mark your calendar for the 25th as a possible dawny, but the 28th looks like the more promising of the two, given the slightly better energy and a more consistent period. It’s not going to be huge, but it’ll be clean. And after this drought, clean will feel like a luxury.

Rusty

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