Backsides Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(North Coast – New South Wales, Australia)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Backsides Surf Guide

Backsides in North Coast - New South Wales is an exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf The best wind direction is from the west. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell direction is from the southeast. There is no reef break. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Beware of - Rocks - Localism - Sharks.

Backsides Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	24.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Backsides:

The best conditions reported for surf at Backsides occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Backsides (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Backsides with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 36% of the time in July while 49% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 15% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

36%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

49%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

15%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Backsides Location Map

Interactive Backsides surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Backsides is Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport (OOL) in Australia, which is 76 km (47 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Backsides is Brisbane International Airport (BNE), also in Australia, 169 km (105 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Backsides Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 01:21 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	1AM	4AM	7AM	10AM
Wave (m)	E	E	E	E
Period (s)	11	11	11	11
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross- off	off	glass

Tides at Backsides

Current tide and informaton

For Ballina, Australia, 4 km from Backsides.

Next High Water: 10:07am | 0.92m

Next Low Water: 04:51am | 0.4m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Backsides Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 23.0 °C once we account for wind), and similar sea temperatures (24.1 °C). Wear boardshorts or a shorty, or better still a thin summer wetsuit to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a shorty.

Current Temp*: 24.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite