Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, let’s talk turkey. Looking over the next couple of weeks, and it’s a tough one. There’s a whole lot of nothing on the menu before we get a real meal at the end.

The first week is a total flop. From Friday the 7th right on through to the 16th, it’s small, weak, and all over the place. There are a couple of mornings, like the 10th, that are dead glassy, but there's no swell to push. We’re talking ankle to knee-high dribble, 1 to 2 feet at best. The energy numbers are weak, and the winds are mostly cross or onshore, making things messy. A few clean windows, sure, but you’re just bobbing around.

We see a little bump in size on the 13th, but the wind backs off and puts a chop on it. No good.

So, it’s a long, dry spell. From the 7th through the 16th, you can hang up the wetsuit. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. On Friday the 21st, the swell comes in at a solid 6 to 7 feet from the WNW. The energy readings are strong, well into the strong range. The wind is offshore and light, which could give us some proper, clean surf. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s still a week and a half away, so we can’t be sure, but it has the makings of the best surf in the whole window. The period is 9 seconds, so it should have some push to it.

After that, it drops off quick. By the 22nd, it’s back to small and clean, but nothing special.

So, the standout is that Friday the 21st. Back Strands, a reef setup that loves the west swell. That WNW direction is what we want to see. If the wind stays light, we could see some nice, hollow waves. It’s fairly exposed, so it grabs all that energy. Just remember, it’s a ways out, so stay loose.

Water temp at the start is around 61°, a touch warmer than average for August.

There’s also those “surfable but ordinary” days on the 17th and 18th. Tiny, clean slop. If you’re jonesing for a splash, you could get a few, but it’s not worth the effort.

That’s it from me. Rusty, out.

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