Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Back Strands.

Alright, to be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for Back Strands. The first few days are pretty ordinary – we’ve got some swell, but the wind and conditions just aren’t playing ball. The real standout window is looking like Monday the 21st of September, but we’ve got to get through a fair bit of average stuff first.

We start off on Thursday the 10th with a tiny 2ft west swell, period only 8 seconds – that’s short period, weak energy (69), and a south wind blowing 12 mph. The water’s sitting at 61°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. But the conditions are poor, so not much to get excited about.

Friday the 11th is similar – 4ft west swell, still short period around 8-9 seconds, and cross-shore winds. The combined energy picks up to moderate (245-269), but it’s still messy. No good.

Saturday the 12th sees the swell bump up to 6ft from the west, with a longer period of 12 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy is strong (963), but the wind is cross to cross-on, with light rain. It’s marginal at best, so not one for the average punter.

Sunday the 13th the swell drops to 4ft from the west-northwest, period 11 seconds, and the wind turns light from the south in the afternoon – cross-off. That’s clean, but the surf is small and ordinary. You might get a few, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Monday the 14th is back to small and weak, with a 2ft west swell and 8-second period. Wind is light cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s barely any energy (93). Not worth a paddle.

Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th bring onshore winds and a rising swell – 4ft to 6ft – but it’s all cross-on or onshore, choppy and poor. The energy is moderate to strong (284-641), but the conditions are terrible.

Thursday the 17th we get a 5ft west swell with a 13-second period, strong energy (825), but the wind is onshore. By the afternoon, the wind swings light cross-shore, and the swell pushes 6ft with 12 seconds – energy strong (1010). It’s still only marginal, but the tide could be a factor. Not a standout.

Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th are a write-off – strong onshore winds, lumpy, and messy. The swell gets up to 8ft on Saturday, but with 25 mph winds, it’s just a mess.

Now, here’s the good bit. Monday the 21st of September is the best we’ve got. Morning starts with a 6ft west-northwest swell, 10-second period, combined energy 694 – that’s strong – and the wind is light from the south, cross-off, keeping it clean. The afternoon gets even better: the swell jumps to 8ft from the west, period 11 seconds, energy 1565 (very strong), and the wind turns offshore from the south-southeast at 12 mph. That’s clean, powerful, and sets up nicely for experienced surfers. This is the standout. Keep in mind, at 8ft, it’s for the crew who know what they’re doing.

Tuesday the 22nd sees a big 10ft swell from the west-northwest with a very long 15-second period, energy 3718, but the wind is strong cross-on from the west-northwest at 25 mph. It’s a messy, powerful beast – better for kites than paddles.

The rest of the week into the 25th stays lumpy with onshore winds and 5ft to 8ft swell, but nothing clean. The 25th Friday morning has a 8ft west-northwest swell with a 10-second period, and the wind is cross-off from the south at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but it’s only marginal due to tide or conditions.

So, for the whole 16-day window, the only real standout is Monday the 21st – especially the afternoon. Get on it if you can, but it’s for the experienced crew.

Rusty.

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