Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks at Backdoor 4. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so we’ll need to be patient and pick our moments.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a window of opportunity. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd are showing some life. Saturday afternoon is looking clean with a light offshore wind from the ESE and a 5ft swell from the SSE. The water is sitting at 65°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no need for a thick wetsuit. The combined energy is moderate at 399. Not a world-beater, but it’s clean and rideable.

Sunday morning on the 2nd, the swell bumps up a bit at 5ft from the SSE, but the wind is onshore from the north. That’s going to mess it up. The afternoon gets worse with a strong cross-onshore chop. Monday and Tuesday the 3rd and 4th are total write-offs – tiny, weak, and messy. Energy drops right off to just 38 on Tuesday, so you’re better off staying home.

The first real standout is Wednesday afternoon, the 5th of August. We get a glassy, dead-calm couple of hours with a 3ft southerly swell at 10 seconds. The energy is a moderate 227. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and the break is very consistent. If you can sneak out then, you’ll have fun.

The next solid run starts Thursday the 6th into Friday the 7th. Thursday afternoon sees a 6ft southerly swell with moderate energy (604) and light cross-offshore winds. Then Friday morning is the pick of the first week: glassy conditions, zero wind, and a 6ft southerly groundswell at 9 seconds. Energy is 473. That’s clean, solid, and will be a joy.

Saturday morning the 8th is also glassy with a 4ft swell – a good option if you missed Friday. But don’t get too excited for the rest of the first week; Sunday the 9th through Wednesday the 12th is a gap of poor, weak surf, with energy staying below 130. The wind is either onshore or strong cross-shore, creating chop. Not worth paddling out.

Now, the biggest event of the whole forecast is on Thursday the 13th of August. The morning shows a big 8ft swell from the south, with a massive combined energy of 1970. That’s proper strong energy. The wind is offshore, so it’ll be clean. However, this is getting into expert territory – that’s a lot of water moving, and the reef will be handling some serious power. If you’re not confident, sit this one out. The afternoon is still solid at 7ft with offshore wind and energy of 688. Very good surf, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Friday the 14th eases off to a more manageable 4-4ft with clean offshore winds, making it a good day for the intermediate crowd.

The final week has a couple of intriguing, but less certain, days. Saturday the 15th brings a very long-period groundswell of 21 seconds from the south, combined with a 3ft swell. The energy is intense at 1236. That long period will make for some beautiful, lined-up waves, but at a reef break like this, it could also be a bit shifty and close out. The wind is light onshore in the morning, which is a shame. Sunday the 16th is similar: a 14-second period with a 8ft SSE swell, energy at 2302. That’s huge and powerful. Again, this is for experienced surfers only, and the wind is cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect.

Overall, the best bets are Friday morning the 7th of August for the clean, glassy 6ft waves, and Thursday the 13th of August for the big, powerful, clean swell if you have the skills. The last weekend is promising but still a long way out.

Rusty out.

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