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Backdoor
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
23Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- SW 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SSW 21 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 113, too small
- Mon 212, too small
- Tue 321, poor
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 522, too small
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 86, poor
- Mon 912, poor
- Tue 1044, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Backdoor does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 12 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, poor | 3 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 21 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 234kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:49 +0.3 mLow 07:10 −0.4 mHigh 13:54 +0.8 mLow 20:56 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:06 +0.3 mLow 08:30 −0.3 mHigh 15:04 +0.7 mLow 22:03 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:17 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:13 +0.7 mLow 23:03 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Backdoor on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Big bommie 0.3 km away
- Iceys 0.6 km away
- JD reef 0.9 km away
- Minis 1 km away
- JD's shorey 1.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Backdoor
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (76°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (256°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7; in December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Norah Head, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,890–US$3,580 each
about US$1,890–US$3,580 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$925–US$1,920 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,890–US$3,580 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
3 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Norah Head its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Budgewoi on Booking.com
9 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Murrays Beach on Booking.com
33 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 40m
About 28h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.