Surf Forecasts:
Backdoor 4 surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SSE swell with 960 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Backdoor 4 this week:
The surf forecast for Backdoor 4 over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Backdoor 4 in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backdoor 4 over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Backdoor 4.
For the next few days, it’s pretty grim, no two ways about it. Tuesday starts off with weak, short-period windswell pushing in from the ENE at 4ft, with a period of just 7 seconds. The wind is from the NNW, blowing onshore, making a mess of things. The wave energy is weak (185), so there’s just not much to work with. Honestly, save your energy and do something else.
Wednesday sees the swell drop a little, but by Thursday morning the 27th, things start to look up. The wind swings around to the south, going offshore, with the swell picking up to 5ft. The period is still a bit on the short side (8 seconds), but the wind, combined with the swell jumping up to moderate energy (389), makes it the best option so far. Thursday afternoon holds that 5ft with a slightly longer period of 9 seconds from the south; it’s clean, so you could get some fun ones.
Friday the 28th looks iffy in the morning, but the afternoon improves with a 5ft SSE swell, a period stretching to 11 seconds, and clean conditions. The energy bumps up to 487.
Now, here’s the standout window. Saturday the 29th is the pick of the whole forecast. We’ve got a 5ft south swell, period at 8 seconds – maybe a bit short for some, but the wind is blowing solidly offshore from the south at 15 mph, cleaning it up beautifully. The combined wave energy is strong at 723, and the forecast calls for very good surf conditions. The afternoon keeps that quality with a 5ft SSE swell at a better 10-second period, still offshore. This is the one to circle.
Sunday the 30th starts with a glassy, dead-calm morning. The swell drops back to 3ft from the south, with a period of 9 seconds. It’ll be clean as a whistle and perfect for a longboard or a funboard, though the energy is moderate (275).
From Monday the 31st onwards, the swell direction swings around and it gets messy again. The period on the 31st morning is a very long 19 seconds, which is typical for a groundswell, but the swell is tiny at 2ft and from the south, with a north-northeast cross-onshore breeze. By the afternoon, a stronger northeast wind messes it up completely. The rest of the first week of September is a write-off of poor conditions, strong winds, and small, inconsistent swell. The energy readings drop right off.
We jump ahead to Sunday the 6th of September. There’s a brief spike with a 5ft south swell and moderate energy (406), but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the northwest, making it lumpy and poor. Not recommendable.
The final flicker of hope comes on Tuesday the 8th of September, where we see a cleaner 4ft south swell with a long 11-second period, but the wind is light and cross-onshore. The afternoon stays similar. It’s a marginal call at best.
So, to wrap it up: the run starts slow, but Thursday and especially Saturday the 29th are your solid bets. That Saturday is the standout with strong wave energy and clean offshore wind. After that, expect a long gap with little to no quality surf for over a week.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri afternoon, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 7 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SE 9 | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
127 | 150 | 142 | 126 | 95 | 279 | 509 | 390 | 258 | 545 | 516 | 485 | 944 | 683 | 362 | 189 | 171 | 251 | 627 | 333 | 411 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:27PM1.49m | 7:06AM1.09m | 7:05PM1.54m | 7:41AM1.17m | 7:40PM1.57m | 8:15AM1.25m | 8:15PM1.57m | 8:49AM1.32m | 8:50PM1.54m | 9:24AM1.38m | 9:27PM1.47m | 10:01AM1.42m | 10:07PM1.38m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:56AM0.43m | 1:12AM0.24m | 12:39PM0.37m | 1:43AM0.18m | 1:19PM0.32m | 2:14AM0.13m | 1:59PM0.28m | 2:44AM0.10m | 2:39PM0.26m | 3:14AM0.10m | 3:21PM0.25m | 3:46AM0.12m | 4:05PM0.26m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 |
127 | 150 | 142 | 126 | 95 | 55 | 509 | 390 | 258 | 545 | 516 | 24 | 30 | 683 | 362 | 189 | 171 | 133 | 627 | 333 | 411 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 16 | S 14 | S 15 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 11 | S 18 | ENE 9 | SE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | ENE 9 |
47 | 29 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 52 | 34 | 41 | 38 | 24 | 38 | 6 | 30 | 196 | 172 | 162 | 109 | 76 | 50 | 17 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 9 | — | S 11 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | — | — | — | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | S 19 | SE 7 | ENE 9 | E 12 |
21 | 19 | 21 | 6 | — | 2 | 17 | 37 | 57 | 37 | 33 | — | — | — | 26 | 16 | 18 | 251 | 52 | 16 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 2 | WSW 3 | S 5 | S 7 | — | — | — | — | S 3 | SSE 9 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 | NE 4 |
— | — | 1 | 3 | 74 | 279 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 485 | 944 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | 11 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Backdoor 4 Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Backdoor 4 provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Backdoor 4 can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Backdoor 4 surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Backdoor 4) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Backdoor 4 may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Backdoor 4 is 14 km (9 miles) from the city of Catherine Hill Bay. If you plan a holiday in Newcastle, look for hotels and other accommodation in Catherine Hill Bay. Catherine Hill Bay has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











