Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s talk Back Strands. It’s a reef break that’s fairly exposed and wants a west swell to work. But we’re looking at a long stretch of flat, windy junk before anything worthwhile shows up.

Right now, from Thursday the 16th, the swell is tiny – 0.7ft to 1.0ft – and the wind is all over the shop. Thursday morning is glassy with a light east-northeast breeze, but the combined energy is only 8, so it’s basically a lake. Then the wind switches northwest and picks up, making it onshore and choppy through Friday and Saturday. Swell stays tiny, periods are short (4 to 8 seconds). Not worth getting wet.

Sunday the 19th morning goes glassy again with a 1ft northwest swell, but the period is just 6 seconds and energy is 33. Clean but hopelessly small. That pattern of weak, tiny swell mixed with onshore or cross-onshore wind holds all the way to the 23rd.

Now, Friday the 24th brings a pulse: combined energy jumps to 236 (moderate) with a 3ft west-northwest swell at 10 seconds. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the west-southwest, so it’ll be choppy and messy. Same story Saturday the 25th: 3ft to 3ft, energy around 128 to 147, but cross-onshore wind and light rain ruin the surface.

The standout window is Monday the 27th. Morning brings a 3ft west-northwest swell with a 9-second period and a clean offshore breeze from the east-southeast. Energy is moderate at 111. It’s surfable and clean – the best we’ll see. That afternoon it goes glassy with a 2ft swell from the same direction. Water temp is 17°C (about 63°F), which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – 3° warmer than average. Pretty notable.

After that, from the 28th on, onshore winds return and swell drops back under 3ft, with energy falling below 100. The last couple days of July show some light cross-offshore or clean conditions on the 31st, but the swell is only 1ft to 2ft – nothing to make a session out of.

So bottom line: the only real shot at a clean, surfable wave is Monday the 27th. Everything else is either too small, too chopped, or both. Keep your board handy for that day.

Rusty.

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