Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up at Backdoor 4.

First up, we’ve got a solid run of clean surf kicking off Friday the 11th. The swell is already pumping with a combined energy of 707 (moderate wave energy), chest to head high, coming from the south with a 10-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore, keeping things tidy. This is good, rippable stuff. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The standout of the whole outlook is Saturday morning, the 12th. The swell drops a touch to 4ft, but the period lengthens to 12 seconds, giving it more grunt and shape. The kicker is the wind – glassy, absolutely dead calm. That’s a major positive. It’s going to be silky smooth out there, with that long-period groundswell wrapping in nicely. This is your best window. Get out early.

Saturday afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-shore wind, and the surf quality drops. Then Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th are a write-off – small, weak, and the wind is onshore and lumpy. We’re looking at about two days of poor conditions.

Tuesday the 15th is flat, with combined energy down to 60 (weak). The next real action is Wednesday the 16th. A big pulse of swell arrives, reaching 8ft with a combined energy of 1157 (strong wave energy). That’s a lot of power. The wind is fresh offshore, so it’s clean, but this is only for experienced surfers. It’s too big for the average punter. The period is short at 9 seconds, so it’s a bit of a wall of water.

We go through a few more days of small, weak surf and poor winds until we get to Friday the 18th, where a very long period 19-second swell shows up. The problem is it’s only 2ft and the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be any good. That long period would be great for a point or reef, but not here with that wind.

Things pick up a little again on Sunday the 20th, with 5ft of south swell, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, making it a mess. The rest of the outlook from the 21st onward is a mix of small, weak, and ordinary conditions. There’s a brief shot on Wednesday the 23rd afternoon with a moderate offshore wind and 5ft swell, but it’s a short period NE windswell, so it’s just ordinary.

Overall, the call is simple: Saturday morning the 12th is the gem. Glassy, clean, nice groundswell. If you’re out there, you’ll know it. The rest of the window is either too big, too small, or blown out.

Rusty.

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