Backdoor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for Backdoor over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, it’s a rough start. The first eight or nine days are looking bleak. You’ve got a long stretch from now through to about the 16th of August where the swell is tiny – we’re talking 0.7ft to 1ft most days – and the wind is mostly a cross-off from the east or northeast, which isn't doing us any favours. The wave energy is weak, with numbers like (92) and (46) early on, dropping to single digits and teens. It’s basically flat and not worth paddling out for.

Now, there’s a big spike on the 16th of August, Sunday afternoon. A sudden jump to 20ft swell from the northeast, with a solid 13-second period. The combined energy there is huge at (11719), but the wind is a cross-on from the north at 25 km/h, making it choppy. Plus, the report calls it “poor surf conditions.” At that size and with that wind, this is a beast for experts only, and honestly, the chop will make it a messy one.

After that, it settles back down into small, weak surf through to around the 20th of August. The cross-off wind persists, and we are stuck with ankle-biters.

The only real standout window I see is around the 20th and 21st of August. On Thursday the 20th, the afternoon shows a 2ft swell from the southwest, with a long 18-second period. The wave energy climbs to a moderate (180), and the wind is a light cross-off from the east-northeast at 15 km/h. Conditions are clean. Then Friday the 21st, morning and afternoon, holds 2ft swell from the southwest with a 16-second period, wave energy in the mid-100s (156 and 149), and a light cross-off breeze from the east at 20 km/h. The water temp is about 80°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, not much of a surprise there.

Given the tiny surf before that, this is the pick of the bunch. It’s not a big day, but it’s a long-period groundswell, which is always welcome, and the wind keeps it clean for a classic reef break. Backdoor is an exposed reef, so it will pick up that southwest swell well. It’s an intermediate-level wave, but with crowds being listed as “often,” expect company out there even on a small day.

After Friday the 21st, it fades back out into the weak stuff again, with cross-off winds returning.

So, to be honest, the first week and a half is a write-off. Hang tight, get your gear ready for the 20th and 21st of August. That’s your best shot at a few clean, lined-up waves.

Rusty.

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