Backdoor 4 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks. The ocean’s got a bit of a story to tell, and it’s not all good news, but there are some windows you’re gonna want to keep an eye on.

Right off the bat, Friday the 14th and into Saturday morning, it’s small but clean. We’re looking at chest-high stuff, around 4ft with a south swell. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is a bit colder than we’re used to for this time of year. It’s a gentle breeze, cross-offshore, and the waves are clean. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s a fine way to ease into the weekend.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday sees a little more push, with a bit of a bump in energy. The swell goes up to 5ft, still from the south/southeast. The wind stays cross-off, and it’s clean, but the tide and the conditions look a little more marginal. It’s surfable, but you’re gonna have to pick your moments.

Monday and Tuesday, the swell backs off a touch to 4ft. The wind is light, mostly offshore or cross-off, so the surface is going to be glassy. It’s not big, but it’s clean, and there are some fun little lefts and rights to be had. The energy is weak-to-moderate. It’s a good chance to get the log out or work on your turns. Wednesday stays similar, but the period jumps up to 10 seconds, which adds a bit more push.

Then we hit a lull. Thursday the 20th through Saturday the 22nd, it gets poor. The swell dips below 3ft, the energy drops off a cliff, and we get some onshore and cross-onshore winds. It’s gonna be small and chopped up. This is a good time to do some maintenance on your boards or catch up on sleep. There’s a stretch of about three days where it's just not worth paddling out.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Sunday the 23rd, a new, more powerful south swell starts to fill in. It jumps to 6ft, and the energy climbs. That afternoon, it gets even better. We’re looking at 6ft of south swell with an 11-second period, and the energy is strong. This is the first real standout of the window. It's a proper groundswell, and it’s going to have some power behind it.

Monday the 24th still has some decent waves from that swell, but the energy is fading a bit. The real monster is on Tuesday the 25th. The forecast is for a massive 11ft south swell. The energy reading is huge. The wind is light and glassy in the morning, and the tide is favorable. But, and this is a big but, this break cannot handle that size. It’s going to be way too big and dangerous. This is for experts only, and even then, it's probably going to be a washing machine. The same goes for Wednesday the 26th, with 8ft to 10ft waves and a strong onshore wind. That’s a mess. Honestly, with that much swell and those winds on a reef, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that big pulse passes, it settles down. Later in the week, from Thursday the 28th, we see a more manageable 5ft southeast swell roll in, with a 10-second period. The energy is moderate. The wind is cross-off and clean. It’s a final little push to finish the week on a decent note, but it's not on the same level as that Sunday the 23rd session. So, if you’ve got one day to pick out of the next two weeks, make it Sunday the 23rd. That afternoon is going to be the one with the most size, energy, and clean conditions. It’ll be worth the wait.

Rusty, out.

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