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Backsides Surf Forecast
/ NSW – North Coast (46 breaks) / New South Wales (297 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Backsides surfForecast / NSW – North Coast / Australia
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 9 am Wednesday 20 May 2026 AESTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Backsides surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Backsides sea temperature is
23.9° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)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 Wednesday (May 20) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Backsides in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (May 22) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.1m 11s period and expected on Thursday (May 21) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Wed 20th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Wed 20th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Fri 22nd May) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Backsides over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 21°C on Fri night, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the SW on Wed morning, strong winds from the S by Fri morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Sat morning, light winds from the S by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
E 10 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | S 8 | |
489 | 510 | 1214 | 1331 | 1234 | 1791 | 3778 | 5471 | 4086 | 2758 | 2731 | 1967 | 2303 | 1960 | 1736 | 1485 | 1473 | 1034 | 737 | 681 | 753 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | off | cross-off | on | off | off | cross | cross-off | |
High Tide | 10:54AM0.95m | 11:21PM1.65m | 11:56AM0.89m | 00:18AM1.53m | 1:06PM0.87m | 1:18AM1.41m | 2:21PM0.89m | 2:20AM1.29m | 3:32PM0.97m | 3:22AM1.20m | 4:31PM1.07m | 4:18AM1.13m | 5:20PM1.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:31PM0.21m | 6:21AM0.20m | 5:29PM0.27m | 7:21AM0.20m | 6:34PM0.33m | 8:20AM0.20m | 7:45PM0.38m | 9:14AM0.19m | 9:01PM0.40m | 10:02AM0.18m | 10:16PM0.41m | 10:43AM0.18m | 11:21PM0.40m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:00 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:57 | — |
— | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | — | S 12 | — | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 12 |
 kJ | 489 | 414 | 257 | 219 | 210 | 181 | 71 | 33 | — | 28 | — | 1967 | 2303 | 1960 | 1736 | 1485 | 1473 | 1034 | 737 | 681 | 639 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | N 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 22 | S 19 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 28 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 40 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 14 | — | — | — | — | — | S 11 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | S 7 | S 8 |
| kJ | 127 | 510 | 1214 | 1331 | 1234 | 1791 | 3778 | 5471 | 4086 | 2758 | 2731 | 210 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 140 | 303 | 753 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 75 | 15 | 23 | 251 | 76 | 245 | 530 | 80 | 69 | 69 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 34 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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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