Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, your local surf reporter, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for Backdoor 4. It’s a reef break, very consistent, exposed to the east swell, and it’s an intermediate-level wave. The water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is about 1°F cooler than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a touch on the fresh side.

The outlook starts slow. There’s no real surf on offer for the first few days. Sunday afternoon (23rd August) through to Wednesday afternoon (26th August) are a write-off. The swell is small, the wind is cross-on or onshore, and the conditions are choppy or lumpy. The combined energy is moderate at best (423 on Sunday dropping to 137 on Wednesday), but the quality is poor. You’d be wasting your time.

Then we get a little glimmer. Thursday morning (27th August) is the first real standout. The swell comes in at 5ft from the south, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind goes glassy – that’s proper clean. The combined energy is 399, so moderate, but the glassy conditions will make it feel much better. The score for that session is good, and it’s the best looking window in the first week. Thursday afternoon drops off a bit with a cross-shore breeze, but the morning is worth an early paddle.

Friday morning (28th August) is another glassy session, with 3ft south swell at 9 seconds. The energy is 290, so not huge, but clean. It’s a fun, small-wave morning. Saturday (29th August) has a consistent 3ft to 4ft south-southeast swell, with light offshore winds. The combined energy is 239 to 292, and the conditions are clean. It’s not a standout, but it’s a solid, surfable day.

Sunday morning (30th August) is tiny – 2ft, glassy, but the energy is down to 146. It’s only ordinary. Then Monday (31st August) brings a weird one: the swell period jumps to 19 seconds, with a south swell of only 2ft, but the combined energy is 472. That’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s small and the wind is onshore or cross-on, so it’s messy. Not worth it.

Now, the real standout is Tuesday morning (1st September). That’s the one. The swell is 3ft from the south, with a period of 14 seconds – that’s solid groundswell energy. The wind is glassy, and the combined energy is 454. Clean, lined-up waves. This is the best session of the entire forecast. After that, things fall apart again. From Tuesday afternoon (1st September) through to the end of the period (7th September), the swell drops, the wind turns cross-on or onshore, and the conditions are poor. The combined energy dips below 100 by the 3rd and 4th of September, and the last few days are just choppy and ugly.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a bust, with a few good windows on Thursday and Friday mornings (27th and 28th August). The best session is Tuesday morning (1st September) – that’s the one to circle. After that, it’s a long stretch of nothing. The reef is consistent, so it’s not a total blank, but the quality is not there for most of the run.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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