Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a slow start. We're looking at a big gap of no real surf worth paddling out for from now until the morning of Monday the 24th of August. That's a solid four or five days of flat to messy conditions. The odd ripple shows up, but it's all poor surf with choppy, lumpy wind and tiny swell, so leave the board in the shed.

The first real chance of something half-decent rolls in on Monday the 24th of August. The standout window is the Monday morning at Back Strands. Finally, the wind is looking good – a clean, gentle offshore breeze from the ESE, which is a major positive. The wave height is around 4 ft, coming from the WNW. The period is a solid 11 seconds, giving it a bit of push, and the combined swell energy is 313, which is firmly in the moderate range. It's a reef break that's fairly consistent and fairly exposed, and the wind is coming from the southeast, while the optimum swell is from the west. The forecast says "expect good surf conditions" which is a welcome change. The water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so no surprises there. The afternoon is a bit more ordinary, but that morning session is the one to target.

From there, things drop off again. The rest of the week is a mixed bag of poor surf with small swell and messy wind. Tuesday the 25th has clean conditions but the swell is tiny at around 2 ft and the energy is weak. There's a small window on Thursday the 27th morning with a little offshore wind and 2 ft swell, but it's nothing to get excited about.

Rolling into the second week, the outlook is pretty grim. Saturday the 29th of August sees a pulse of 5 ft swell from the west, but the wind is cross-shore and the quality is poor – it's a moderate cross-chop. That's a kite-surfing wind, not a surfer's wave. Sunday the 30th has a glassy morning, but the swell is a tiny 2 ft. The rest of the days into the first week of September look flat with almost no energy and poor wind. There's really nothing worth chasing.

So, bottom line: the only real highlight is the Monday the 24th of August morning session at Back Strands. It's not a world-class day, but it's the best on offer. After that, you're looking at a long blank run. It's a quiet stretch for this area, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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