Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee and settle in. Rusty here, with a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. We’ve only got the one spot lighting up the charts, Backdoor 4, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

We kick off straight away. Saturday morning, the 29th of August, we’re looking at a clean 4 ft swell from the SSE with a light offshore breeze. The energy is moderate at 297. It’s not massive, but it’s clean and rideable. The water temp is about average for this time of year at Backdoor 4. The swell ticks up a touch Saturday afternoon to 5 ft, still clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze. Good fun for an intermediate surfer.

Now, Sunday the 30th is where it gets tasty. A drop in height to 3 ft, but the wind goes glassy in the morning from the north. The swell period is 9 seconds, so a decent little wave. The energy is still moderate at 241. That glassy morning window is the standout for the whole forecast. Clean, approachable, and you’ll have a smile on your face. It stays clean through the afternoon with a light cross-off.

Monday the 31st starts glassy again with a tiny 2 ft swell, but look at the period – 16 seconds! That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy is moderate (330). That long period means it’s going to be a bit fat and walled up, but it’ll offer some nice lined-up runners. The morning is the pick; by afternoon a strong cross-on wind chops it right up.

Then we hit a dry spell. Tuesday through to Saturday, the 5th of September, is a write-off. The swell drops below 2 ft or the wind is just plain mean. It’s a real gap in the action for nearly a week.

That Saturday afternoon, the 5th, we see a tiny blip – flat calm, glassy conditions, with a weak 2 ft swell (energy just 137). It’s surfable but very ordinary. Sunday the 6th is a washout with fresh cross-onshore winds.

Monday the 7th of September brings some hope back: a clean 3 ft from the NE with a 8-second period and a light breeze. It’s ordinary, but rideable.

Now, hold on. Tuesday the 8th of September. This is the big one, but it’s a big "but." We get a massive 10 ft swell from the south. The energy is strong at 917. The next days follow with even bigger surf – 13 ft on Tuesday afternoon (energy 3405!) and 10 ft on Wednesday. The wind is clean, but the call is that it's simply too big for Backdoor 4. This is for experts only, and even then, it might just be a washing machine. If you’re a seasoned charger, you might want a look, but it’s a serious size. The swell direction from the SSE isn’t hitting the optimum E direction perfectly for this reef.

The surf then drops back through to the end of the window. Thursday the 10th is still pushing 8 ft with a clean offshore breeze, still big but dropping. By Friday the 11th we’re back to clean but ordinary 6 ft surf with a cross-shore wind, and things just taper off into the following week.

So, the standout is hands-down Sunday morning, the 30th of August. It’s not the biggest, but the glassy conditions and clean 3 ft swell make it the best for a relaxed, fun session. For the experts, that massive pulse from Tuesday the 8th is on the radar, but you’d have to be a local and know the spot inside out to handle it. Otherwise, it's a lean run.

Rusty.

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