Surf Forecasts:
Backdoor 4 surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period, S swell with 488 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period with S 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Backdoor 4 in the next 16 days are 1.3m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backdoor 4 over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it. We're looking at a challenging 16-day stretch for Backdoor 4. The key thing is patience – there's not a single day that's an all-time classic, but a couple of windows do open up if you can time it right. We're sitting on a mix of south swells, mostly short-period stuff, and the wind is going to be our biggest enemy most of the time.
Water temp is sitting around 65°F, right about average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about there.
Right off the bat, we've got a dry spell. The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are offering small, weak south swells around 2ft, but the wind is all wrong – cross-onshore creating chop. It's frustrating, but you have to wait.
Then we get our first glimmer of hope. Friday morning, September 4th. The wind drops to glassy, calm conditions. The swell bumps up to a clean 3ft from the south with an 11-second period. It's not big, but that combined energy reading of 281 (moderate) and the glassy surface will make it feel a lot better than the numbers suggest. This is your "get the small-wave board" window.
Saturday the 5th is a bust with strong onshore winds. Sunday the 6th shows some promise with a clean, offshore breeze in the morning, but the swell is still only 2ft. The afternoon gets interesting – a 4ft south swell rolls in with a 12-second period and moderate energy of 501. The wind goes offshore from the ESE, so the sets could be clean. It's a "marginal" call due to tides, but it's worth a look.
Monday the 7th is frustrating. The 4ft south swell holds, but the morning has cross-onshore ripple. The afternoon has a fresh offshore wind from the south at 22 mph. That wind is strong, but it will keep the face clean. The energy is moderate (243). It's a heads-up session.
Now, Tuesday the 8th. This is probably your best bet for the whole fortnight. Morning session. A clean 6ft south swell (a bit over 5ft, so getting into intermediate territory) with an 8-second period. The energy is a solid 492. The wind is a light offshore from the south. It's been flagged as "expect good surf conditions." The period is short, so it'll be a bit weaker and more crumbly, but the size and clean wind make this the standout. Get on it early.
The rest of the first week and into the second is more of a mixed bag. Wednesday the 9th sees the swell drop to almost nothing. Thursday the 10th brings a jumbled, short-period 5ft swell with strong winds.
But hold on for the 11th of September. Friday, a week and a day from now. This is the real promise, the long-range standout that has "very good" potential. Morning session shows a 5ft south swell, but it's got a 12-second period and a very high combined energy of 679. The wind is a gentle offshore from the SSE. That's a recipe for long, lined-up waves. The afternoon is similar, just slightly smaller at 4ft. This is the one to keep an eye on.
After that, the wind turns nasty again. From the 12th all the way to the 17th, it's mostly cross-onshore or onshore, with ENE swells dominating. The surf stays between 3ft and 6ft, but it's lumpy, choppy, or just plain messy. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most of those days. A couple of mornings on the 14th and 15th have offshore wind, but the swell is short-period and weak.
The final day, Thursday the 17th, is more of the same – messy cross-onshore with a dropping 5ft ENE swell.
To be honest, there's no classic day here. The standouts are the glassy Friday the 4th for a small, clean fun session, and the promising offshore wind and solid groundswell energy on the 11th of September. Get those dates in the diary. Tuesday the 8th morning is your biggest, cleanest option. Everything else is a game of patience.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Sun night, fresh winds from the S by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 9 | S 12 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
104 | 108 | 71 | 73 | 52 | 33 | 237 | 130 | 66 | 94 | 62 | 45 | 130 | 488 | 201 | 387 | 223 | 69 | 483 | 309 | 88 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | cross-on | off | off | off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:26AM1.45m | 11:44PM1.14m | 12:20PM1.44m | 00:50AM1.03m | 1:25PM1.43m | 2:14AM0.96m | 2:40PM1.44m | 3:44AM0.96m | 3:54PM1.49m | 4:59AM1.02m | 5:00PM1.56m | 5:57AM1.12m | 5:57PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:52PM0.33m | 5:42AM0.32m | 7:00PM0.37m | 6:36AM0.40m | 8:22PM0.37m | 7:47AM0.46m | 9:46PM0.33m | 9:08AM0.47m | 10:58PM0.24m | 10:24AM0.43m | 11:54PM0.15m | 11:29AM0.35m | 00:41AM0.08m | ||||||||
6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 29 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 22 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 6 | S 12 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 |
104 | 108 | 71 | 73 | 52 | 33 | 237 | 130 | 44 | 94 | 62 | 45 | 35 | 488 | 201 | 387 | 223 | 69 | 483 | 309 | 88 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 5 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 7 | S 6 | ENE 10 | NE 4 | ENE 9 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | S 12 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 4 | ENE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
33 | 33 | 7 | 31 | 19 | 13 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 130 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 5 | ENE 10 | NE 6 | S 3 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 18 | S 12 | NE 7 | E 9 | E 11 | NE 6 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 9 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SE 10 |
8 | 4 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 6 | 66 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | ENE 3 | NW 3 | NNE 4 | NW 4 | SW 3 | — | — | ENE 4 | — | ENE 3 | SSE 6 | — | — | NE 4 |
4 | 7 | 2 | 13 | — | 37 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 3 | — | — | 8 | — | 2 | 98 | — | — | 17 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 72 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 285 | 2 | 2 | 338 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











