
Surf Forecasts:
Backdoor 4 surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with 2,402 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backdoor 4 over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, and I've been staring at the charts for Backdoor 4. This reef break is exposed to the south swell, and what we've got coming is a proper mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. Water temp is sitting at 66°F right now, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We start off with a bit of a slow burn. The first solid action kicks off Sunday the 6th with a clean 4ft south swell, but it's a bit short in the tooth at 8 seconds. Winds are offshore though, so it'll be clean even if the energy is only moderate at 216. Monday the 7th is the real gem of the early run – glassy conditions, a 5ft south swell, and the combined energy bumps up to 298. That's the kind of morning you call in sick for.
Tuesday the 8th sees the swell start to pump up. Morning brings a 8ft south swell, but that's pushing the limits for this spot – combined energy is a hefty 981. It'll be a big, powerful wave, but it's getting into the "too big for this break" territory. The afternoon is the smarter play, with a 7ft swell, clean conditions, and a much more manageable 531 energy reading.
Wednesday the 9th is a tale of two sessions. Morning has a gentle 4ft swell with offshore winds – clean and fun. But the afternoon turns nasty, with a 8ft south swell and 28 mph offshore winds. That's 616 units of energy, but the wind is howling so hard it'll be a battle just to get out.
Thursday the 10th is a full-on swell event. We're looking at 10ft south swells with 10-second periods and combined energy readings over 1600. That is serious, expert-only territory. The wind is offshore, so it'll look perfect from the beach, but the paddle out and the drop will be for the brave only. This is the standout event of the whole period for the big dogs.
Friday the 11th keeps the power on with a 8ft swell in the morning (2478 energy!) and a 7ft in the afternoon. Again, this is all too big for a casual session. Saturday the 12th is the sweet spot for the rest of the crew – the swell drops to a clean 6ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon, with light winds and long 11-second periods. That's proper groundswell, and the 828 energy reading tells you there's plenty of punch. Expect some beautiful, clean waves.
Then we hit a dead patch. From Sunday the 13th through to Monday the 14th, the swell drops right off and the wind turns onshore. It's a flat, choppy mess. There's a tiny window Monday afternoon with glassy conditions on a tiny 2ft swell, but it's barely surfable.
Things perk back up on Tuesday the 15th with a 14-second period swell – that's a very long period groundswell, and at this reef break, it'll wrap in nicely. The morning has a small 3ft, but the afternoon jumps to 7ft which is again too big.
The best run of the second week looks like Wednesday the 16th morning and Thursday the 17th morning. Wednesday brings a 5ft south swell, 11-second period, and glassy conditions – 673 energy, clean, and just right. Thursday morning is similar with a 4ft swell and glass again. That's two mornings of perfection.
After that, it gets messy again. Friday the 18th through Saturday the 19th is cross-shore and choppy. The period on Friday afternoon is an insane 19 seconds, but with a 3ft swell and cross-shore winds, it's just not coming together.
We finish off the period with a bit of hope. Sunday the 20th morning is small but clean, and Monday the 21st morning has a 4ft south swell with offshore winds – a nice, gentle way to end the outlook.
So, the standout sessions? No doubt about it – Monday the 7th morning for the glassy, clean 5ft waves. And for the big-wave hunters, Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are the ones to circle, but only if you've got the experience. For the rest of us, the mornings of Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are the best bets in the second week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, strong winds from the S by Wed morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed afternoon, light winds from the SW by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | S 7 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
198 | 1017 | 251 | 355 | 480 | 973 | 521 | 422 | 173 | 585 | 2402 | 1586 | 1591 | 2214 | 1406 | 830 | 818 | 807 | 584 | 322 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:59AM1.02m | 5:00PM1.56m | 5:57AM1.12m | 5:57PM1.63m | 6:45AM1.22m | 6:46PM1.66m | 7:28AM1.31m | 7:31PM1.65m | 8:07AM1.40m | 8:14PM1.59m | 8:44AM1.46m | 8:54PM1.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:58PM0.24m | 10:24AM0.43m | 11:54PM0.15m | 11:29AM0.35m | 00:41AM0.08m | 12:24PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.04m | 1:14PM0.21m | 2:00AM0.03m | 2:01PM0.17m | 2:35AM0.06m | 2:47PM0.17m | 3:07AM0.11m | |||||||
— | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | E 11 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 10 |
6 | 1017 | 251 | 355 | 9 | 8 | 521 | 422 | 173 | 17 | 70 | 39 | 23 | 1676 | 1066 | 830 | 818 | 807 | 584 | 322 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | NE 8 | SSE 11 | E 10 | E 8 | — | E 10 | E 10 | SE 7 | ENE 9 | E 16 | S 23 | SSE 22 | SSE 21 | E 15 | E 14 | E 13 | ENE 14 | S 18 | S 17 |
8 | 2 | 39 | 8 | 1 | — | 8 | 7 | 50 | 8 | 5 | 40 | 157 | 150 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 56 | 50 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | E 10 | E 10 | N 8 | E 8 | — | N 9 | E 15 | E 9 | E 17 | S 26 | S 17 | E 15 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 14 | ENE 13 |
4 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | — | — | E 3 | S 7 | S 9 | — | — | NW 3 | S 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
198 | — | — | 5 | 480 | 973 | — | — | 2 | 585 | 2402 | 1586 | 1591 | 2214 | 1406 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 304 | 169 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 338 | 135 | 21 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 248 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










