Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve had a look at what’s coming up for Back Strands. Gotta be straight with you—this one’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there’s a lot of waiting involved.

The overall pattern is pretty rough to start. For the first few days, we’ve got plenty of swell but the wind is just trashing it. Kite surfers might be loving the strong cross-shore winds and solid lines, but for a paddle surfer, it’s ugly out there. The combined swell energy is moderate to very strong early on, hitting 644 on Saturday the 5th and then ramping up to a massive 4433 by Tuesday the 8th, but it’s all blown out or messy. You’re looking at 13 ft of west swell on Tuesday the 8th morning, but with a near gale cross-onshore, you’d be mad to paddle out. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s ugly.

The wind doesn’t really let up until the following weekend. There’s a gap of several days where it’s just not worth it—from Wednesday the 9th right through to Friday the 11th, it’s cross-on shore, choppy, and lumpy, with swell sizes bouncing around 3 ft to 7 ft. The combined energy drops a bit but stays moderate to strong, but the quality is poor. Not your window.

Now, the standout. It’s Saturday the 12th of September that finally gives us something to smile about. The morning session is the pick of the whole outlook. We’ve got a 6 ft west-northwest swell rolling in with a 11-second period—that’s a proper groundswell, with good energy between sets. The wind flips around to a light east-southeast breeze, coming cross-offshore, and the water is clean. The combined energy sits at 730 (moderate), but the conditions are described as “very good.” This is a reef break, and with that west-northwest direction matching the optimum plus that offshore wind, you’re looking at lined-up, clean waves. Crowds are possible here sometimes, so get there early for the uncrowded peak. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The afternoon of that same Saturday holds up okay too—still 5 ft and clean, but the energy drops a bit to 510. Still a solid option if you missed the morning.

After that, it fades. Sunday the 13th is small and weak, with a cross-shore wind that kills the shape. The rest of the second week is a mix of small surf and onshore winds, with a few brief moments of clean conditions but nothing over 5 ft until maybe Thursday the 17th, where we get a 5 ft west-northwest swell with a 11-second period and clean cross-offshore wind. The combined energy hits 581—moderate—but it’s only a marginal call, so don’t book your trip around it. The near gale offshore wind on Friday the 18th will make it hard to even paddle into the 3 ft waves.

So, to sum it up: if you’re keen, you wait for Saturday the 12th. That’s your best bet. The rest of the window is either too windy, too messy, or too small.

Stay safe, and I’ll see you out there.

Rusty

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