Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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