Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Back Strands over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim run for a while. The first week or so is mostly small, weak, and messy – not much to get excited about. The water’s sitting at about 62°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s one small win for the rubber.

We kick off on Thursday 27 August with a tiny 2ft W swell, but the wind’s a bit all over the shop and the energy is weak (60). That’s a pass. Friday and Saturday are even smaller – we’re talking knee-high dribble with next to no push. Sunday 30 August sees a tiny pulse, but it’s still not worth paddling out for.

By Monday 31 August, we get a spike to 5ft from the W, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s just choppy and disappointing. Moderate energy (146), but messy.

Tuesday 1 September pumps up to 5ft again, but with a fresh cross-onshore – lumpy and rubbish. The energy’s moderate (238) but you’d be fighting the wind the whole time.

Wednesday 2 September cleans up a bit with a SSE cross-off, but the swell drops to 2ft – too small to care.

Now, the one standout in this whole outlook is Friday 4 September. That morning, we’ve got a solid 10ft W swell with a nice 12-second period – proper groundswell. The wind is light and cross-off from the SW, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is strong (2468). This is for experienced surfers only – 10ft is too big for beginners. The long period means it might break a bit straight at a beach break, but Back Strands is a reef, so that actually helps. This is the best on offer by a long shot. Get on it if you’ve got the skills.

Saturday 5 September still has some leftover size – 6ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon, both from the W with a 10-second period. Morning is clean with a cross-off, afternoon goes glassy. Moderate energy (682 and 450). A solid option for the weekend crew.

After that, it’s back to small and windy from Sunday 6 September onward. Winds pick up strong, and the swell fades. The rest of the week and into the following week is poor – the energy drops off and the wind turns nasty, with gale force gusts by Monday 7 September. Not worth it.

So, to sum it up: the whole 16-day window is pretty flat and forgettable, except for Friday 4 September morning – that’s the real gem. Get in the water early, because the afternoon looks a bit suspect. After that, it’s a long dry spell again.

- Rusty

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