Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break this down in feet and miles per hour, because that’s how we feel it.

The 16-day outlook for Back Strands is a frustrating one. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, crappy conditions, then a pulse of bigger swell that gets blown out, and a tiny clean window right at the end.

From Sunday the 19th through to Friday the 24th, it’s a real drought. Swell heights are a measly 1 to 2 feet, with short periods and weak energy readings – we’re talking numbers like 14 to 50 (weak). The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, so the surface is choppy and useless. That’s a solid five-day gap of nothing.

The first real change comes on Friday the 24th, with the swell bumping up to 3 feet from the WNW, period 10 seconds, and the energy reading 166 (moderate). Still cross-on wind, so it’s not clean. Saturday the 25th morning is the biggest of the run: swell hits 5 feet from the WNW, period 11 seconds, and energy is a strong 452. That’s got some push. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore at 18 mph, with light rain. The report says “poor surf conditions,” and with that cross-chop, it’s going to be a bumpy, messy wave. For a reef, that’s a tough paddle. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a regular surf.

Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th keep the swell in the 4 to 7 feet range, but the wind is onshore from the NW. The energy jumps to 690 on Monday, which is strong, but it’s all windblown. For beginners, anything over 5 feet is getting heavy, and Monday’s 7 feet is strictly for the experts. The period is 9-10 seconds, so it’s not a classic long-period groundswell.

The best session might be the very end. Friday the 31st of July, afternoon. The swell drops to 2 feet from the W, period 8 seconds, energy only 72 (weak). But the wind turns light cross-offshore from the SSW, and the report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – clean, but tiny. That’s as good as it gets.

Back Strands is a reef break that’s fairly consistent, and you might see a crowd sometimes. The water temperature first thing Sunday is 64°F, which is a massive 5°F above the average – that’s very unusual, much warmer than normal for July.

So, a lot of waiting, a lot of wind, and only a couple of almost-windows. The 25th has the power but no clean wind. The 31st has the clean wind but no power. That’s the tough call.

Rusty.

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