Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, looking at the surf for the next couple of weeks.

We’re starting off with a dry spell. There’s nothing worth paddling out for on Sunday, August 2nd, or for the next few days after that. We’re looking at a gap of about four days with pretty ordinary conditions. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

The first real signs of life show up on Wednesday, August 5th, in the afternoon. It’s not going to blow your mind, but we’ve got some small, surfable waves with a clean look. The swell is a tiny 3 feet out of the south, with a short period of 8 seconds and weak energy (131). It’s a start, but nothing to get excited about.

Thursday, August 6th, is still on the marginal side with a bit more size, around 4 feet from the south, but the wind is all wrong, making it a bit messy.

Now, Friday, August 7th, is where it starts to get interesting. The morning is looking proper. We’ll have a glassy, clean ocean with a 4-foot south swell, period of 9 seconds, and moderate energy (250). That’s a good sign for a fun session. The afternoon cleans up nicely too with a light cross-offshore wind. This is the first real standout of the period.

Saturday, August 8th, is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning might offer some glassy waves but they’re dropping to 2 feet with weak energy (95). The afternoon turns into a choppy mess with a strong cross-onshore wind.

We go through another quiet, unremarkable stretch from Sunday, August 9th, through to Thursday, August 13th. The swell is tiny and inconsistent, with a lot of poor conditions and wrong wind directions. Not worth your time.

Things start to look up again on Friday, August 14th. The morning session brings a moderate offshore wind and a 5-foot south-east swell. The period is 9 seconds and the energy is moderate (416). It’s a solid, clean option for a morning surf.

Then we get to the real highlight of the whole forecast. Sunday, August 16th, is looking like a gem. The morning has a 7-foot south swell, 13-second period, and very strong energy (1372). The wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping it clean. This is excellent surf, but it’s definitely for experienced surfers only – that’s a solid 7 feet of south swell. The afternoon is even bigger at 7 feet, but the forecast says it might actually be too big for this break, so be careful.

Monday, August 17th, isn’t a bad follow-up either. The morning is glassy with a 6-foot south swell, very long 15-second period, and even stronger energy (1594). That’s a proper groundswell. The long period might make it a bit tricky at a beach break, but if you can find a point or a reef, it’ll be well-shaped. The afternoon drops to 5 feet with a 12-second period, still clean and very good.

To be honest, the standout window is the morning of Sunday, August 16th, and the morning of Monday, August 17th at Backdoor 4. The swell is solid, the direction is good out of the south, and the wind is light and clean. If you’re an experienced surfer, circle those dates.

Rusty.

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