Surf Forecasts:
Backsides surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 4,030 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Backsides this week:
The surf forecast for Backsides over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Backsides in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backsides over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed night, light winds from the WNW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 16 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 19 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 539 | 1282 | 4030 | 2529 | 1810 | 1402 | 573 | 435 | 164 | 179 | 133 | 83 | 112 | 110 | 212 | 254 | 117 | 99 | 82 | 150 | 215 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:27AM1.38m | 11:19PM1.01m | 12:12PM1.33m | 11:58PM0.91m | 1:07PM1.28m | 00:57AM0.82m | 2:15PM1.25m | 2:37AM0.78m | 3:31PM1.26m | 4:31AM0.83m | 4:35PM1.30m | 5:29AM0.91m | 5:24PM1.35m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:55PM0.53m | 5:23AM0.39m | 6:53PM0.61m | 6:00AM0.46m | 8:09PM0.65m | 6:50AM0.53m | 9:50PM0.62m | 7:59AM0.58m | 10:59PM0.55m | 9:20AM0.58m | 11:41PM0.46m | 10:34AM0.54m | 00:14AM0.38m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — |
 | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — |
mm | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 13 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | E 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 16 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1172 | 573 | 435 | 145 | 179 | 133 | 83 | 112 | 110 | 114 | 254 | 117 | 35 | 30 | 150 | 106 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | S 17 | — | — | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | S 19 | S 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 19 | S 9 | S 8 | S 12 | S 11 | NNE 5 | SSE 17 |
| kJ | 4 | 6 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 164 | 149 | 78 | 51 | 20 | 20 | 212 | 56 | 21 | 99 | 82 | 8 | 55 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | — | — | — | — | NE 16 | N 16 | NE 12 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | N 4 | SSE 17 | ESE 8 | N 4 | SSE 11 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | E 8 | N 4 |
| kJ | 6 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | 6 | 62 | 55 | 95 | 81 | 1 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 45 | 66 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | — | — | NNW 2 | NNW 3 | NNE 3 | — | — | NNE 3 | N 4 | N 4 | NNE 4 | — | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 539 | 1282 | 4030 | 2529 | 1810 | 1402 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 15 | 18 | 19 | — | 16 | 38 | 215 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 278 | 1310 | 75 | 23 | 251 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 251 | 0 | 0 | 566 | 60 | 0 | 193 | 0 | 4 | 69 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Backsides surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Backsides Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Backsides provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Backsides can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Backsides 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 (Backsides) 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 Backsides 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.
Backsides is 5 km (3 miles) from Ballina. If you plan a holiday in North Coast - New South Wales, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ballina. Ballina has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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