Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what's coming up for Back Strands over the next couple of weeks.

Gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run. The swell is gonna pulse up a couple of times, but the wind is mostly going to wreck it. The water is sitting at 62°, which is a full 4° warmer than we'd expect for this time of year, so that's a pretty notable warm spell.

We start off Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd with tiny, weak swell – barely a ripple at 1 ft to 2 ft from the NW with a short period (6-7 seconds). The combined energy is negligible (32), and it's blown out by onshore winds. Just leave the board in the car.

Friday the 24th shows a bit of life. Swell picks up to 3 ft from the WNW, period stretches to 9 seconds, and the energy jumps into the moderate range (173). But the wind is a choppy cross-onshore from the WSW at 12-15 mph, so the surface is going to be messy. Not worth the drive.

Now, Saturday the 25th into Sunday the 26th, the swell jumps significantly. We're looking at 6 ft to 6 ft from the WNW with a 10-second period. This puts the combined energy into strong territory (up to 651). But here’s the kicker – we've got onshore winds blowing at 15-22 mph. That much power, with a cross-onshore wind, is going to be a washing machine. It’s heading into dangerous territory for beginners, and the chop will be nasty for everyone. This setup honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday the 27th sees the swell drop back to 4 ft to 5 ft, but the wind finally switches to a clean cross-offshore from the SSW at 12-18 mph. Conditions will be clean, and that's the saving grace. But the wave comment calls it "marginal" – likely the long period (9 seconds) and dropping swell are making it fat and inconsistent at this beach and reef setup. It's a bit of a tease.

Tuesday the 28th through Thursday the 30th, the swell fades back to below 3 ft with weak energy again. The wind is a mix of clean but light, or back to choppy onshore slop. Nothing to write home about.

There's a quiet gap from here until the tail end of the outlook. The only real bright spot in the entire 16 days comes on Sunday, August 2nd. The afternoon session is a rare moment of perfection. The swell bumps up to a clean 2 ft from the WNW with a 10-second period (121 combined energy), but the wind goes dead calm – glassy. That is a major positive. If you want a quiet, clean, longboard-style session where you’re just sliding around in the dusk light, that's your window. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so be prepared to share a few waves.

After that, it's back to small, weak, and mostly windy for the first week of August. The 3rd and 4th have some clean morning windows, but the swell is tiny and the period is short (5-7 seconds). It’s thin.

So, to sum it up: there's no proper standout session with size and quality. The best on offer is that glassy window on Sunday, August 2nd afternoon. It's small, but it will be clean. A close second is Monday the 27th morning if you're desperate for a surf and can handle a dropping swell in clean but marginal conditions. For the rest, you're better off getting the kite gear out or waiting for the next forecast.

Rusty.

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