
Surf Forecasts:
Backdoor 4 surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, ESE swell with 417 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s is also forecast. 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 2.0m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 4AM. 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 7s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backdoor 4 over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the upcoming surf for Backdoor 4. It's a classic reef setup, very consistent, and exposed to the east. The water's sitting at 64°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year.
Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the next week and a half is looking pretty flat and ordinary. We've got a long stretch of small, weak waves with poor energy readings, mostly in the low hundreds (392) dropping off to under 100. The winds are all over the place, and the swell direction is often swinging around from the south and east-southeast, which isn't ideal for this spot that really wants it from the east.
The first real glimmer of hope pops up on Friday, August 14th. The morning session is looking like the pick of the early period. We're expecting a glassy 4 ft swell from the south with a moderate 270 energy reading. That's clean, that's calm, and it's about as good as it gets for a while.
The weekend of the 15th and 16th has some promise but comes with a catch. Saturday, August 15th kicks off with a clean 4 ft south swell under offshore winds, energy climbing to 321. Then the afternoon sees it bump up to 6 ft south swell with a period of 8 seconds and a solid 429 energy reading, still under offshore winds. It's clean, but that 6 ft on a reef is getting into intermediate territory. Sunday the 16th is still rideable at 6 ft, but the period drops to 7 seconds and the wind is cross-offshore, making it a bit more of a handful.
After that, we're back into a slump of small, weak, and often onshore conditions until the start of the second week. However, things start to look up around Sunday, August 23rd. The afternoon brings a clean 4 ft swell from the east-northeast with a period of 10 seconds – that's a proper groundswell direction for this break. The energy reading jumps to 303, and the light cross-offshore breeze will keep it clean. It's a solid, promising session.
Then, looking way out to Thursday, August 27th, the models are hinting at a bigger pulse. The afternoon shows a 7 ft swell from the northeast, but it's got a short 8-second period and a strong cross-shore wind. The energy reading is a massive 718, but with those conditions, it's only for the experts out there. It's one to watch, but don't hold your breath.
Overall, the standout sessions are the glassy Friday morning on the 14th, the clean, fun Saturday on the 15th, and the promising Sunday afternoon on the 23rd. The rest is a whole lot of waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | S 8 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
332 | 164 | 111 | 52 | 328 | 258 | 211 | 210 | 173 | 263 | 346 | 187 | 249 | 210 | 209 | 310 | 303 | 317 | 191 | 118 | 65 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 7:50PM1.80m | 8:34AM1.27m | 8:36PM1.77m | 9:17AM1.32m | 9:19PM1.68m | 9:58AM1.36m | 10:01PM1.55m | 10:39AM1.38m | 10:43PM1.39m | 11:21AM1.37m | 11:25PM1.23m | 12:04PM1.35m | 00:11AM1.08m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:22PM0.22m | 2:33AM-0.03m | 2:12PM0.19m | 3:13AM-0.02m | 3:01PM0.20m | 3:50AM0.03m | 3:50PM0.23m | 4:26AM0.10m | 4:39PM0.29m | 5:00AM0.19m | 5:30PM0.36m | 5:34AM0.29m | 6:25PM0.44m | ||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 9 | ENE 10 | S 7 | SSE 7 | ENE 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 |
332 | 164 | 111 | 52 | 328 | 258 | 211 | 210 | 173 | 263 | 18 | 187 | 180 | 20 | 54 | 94 | 62 | 52 | 191 | 118 | 65 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 19 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 11 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 12 | S 8 | S 9 | ENE 7 |
54 | 50 | 52 | 3 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 62 | 85 | 80 | 40 | 58 | 20 | 4 | 27 | 31 | 40 | 48 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | S 15 | S 16 | S 12 | S 19 | S 16 | S 19 | S 16 | S 16 | S 19 | S 13 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 12 | ENE 10 | — | SSW 14 | — | E 13 | ENE 9 | S 9 |
2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 28 | 19 | 21 | 29 | 3 | 18 | 19 | 27 | 20 | — | 41 | — | 3 | 15 | 23 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 3 | NW 3 | W 4 | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 8 | — | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | — |
4 | 2 | 9 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 346 | — | 249 | 210 | 209 | 310 | 303 | 317 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 21 | 238 | 285 | 430 | 226 | 135 | 0 | 37 |
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.











