Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m looking at the charts for Back Strands, and honestly, it’s a pretty grim run for the next couple of weeks. There’s a big gap of nothing but poor surf conditions right through the bulk of the forecast.

We’ve got a tiny window of something worthwhile on Monday, August 24th. The morning is just okay – a clean 3ft swell from the WNW with an 11 second period (254 energy), but the wind is a light offshore breeze, so it’s workable. The real standout is the afternoon. The wind drops to glassy, the swell picks up to 4ft from the west, 10 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 270. It’s going to be clean and smooth. This is the best on offer, and it’s not a barnburner, but for a quick session, it’ll be fun.

After that, it’s a long, hard slog. From Tuesday the 25th all the way through to the end of the month, it’s a write-off. We’re talking about a solid week of poor surf, with cross-off and onshore winds, tiny swell, and weak energy. A few days in there the energy drops to just 12 or 14 – that’s barely a ripple.

We get a pulse of bigger swell kicking in around Thursday, September 3rd. The morning (September 3rd) sees an 8ft WNW swell with a 10-second period and a massive 1260 energy reading. But the conditions are marginal, with a moderate cross-off wind. That’s not a clean day for a paddle. The afternoon gets hit by a fresh 35 km/h cross-shore wind, making it a washing machine. That’s more for the kite crew than us.

The biggest swell of the whole period hits on Sunday, September 6th and Monday, September 7th. We’re looking at a 5ft to 8ft west swell with a very long period of 18 seconds on the 6th, and then a 14-second groundswell on the 7th. The energy readings are huge – 1426, 1679, and even 2816. That’s proper, powerful groundswell. But the local wind is a problem. The 6th has light onshore/ cross-onshore wind, and the 7th has a fresh 35 km/h cross-off which keeps it clean but very windy. For a point break or reef, this long-period energy would be a dream, but for a beach set-up, it’s going to be tricky to find a pocket. The 7th morning is the most promising of the big stuff, but it’s still a marginal call because of the conditions.

Water temps are about average for this time of year, nothing weird.

So, to sum it up: the only real session is Monday afternoon, August 24th, when it’s glassy and clean. After that, you’re waiting a long time for a proper, clean day.

Rusty.

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