Backwash
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 246kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 145, fair
- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 815, poor
- Mon 941, poor
- Tue 1056, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Backwash 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 | 45, fair | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 246kJ | offshorewind from the west, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, poor | 6 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 62, good | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 22°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 01:34 +0.2 mLow 07:00 −0.5 mHigh 13:48 +0.8 mLow 20:44 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:49 +0.2 mLow 08:13 −0.4 mHigh 14:57 +0.8 mLow 21:50 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:03 +0.3 mLow 09:34 −0.4 mHigh 16:06 +0.7 mLow 22:51 −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–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
- Jul2of 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
- Nov0of 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, its town, photos
Backwash 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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Backwash
More surf near here
5 places
- Palms Wedge 0.7 km away
- Flynn's Beach 3.1 km away
- Nobbys beach 3.1 km away
- Shelly beach 3.1 km away
- Oxleys Reef 5.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Backwash
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (109°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (289°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Macquarie, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 22°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$1,740–US$3,340 each
about US$1,740–US$3,340 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,740–US$3,340 |
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
10 min by car · 52 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Port Macquarie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lake Cathie on Booking.com
20 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Bonny Hills on Booking.com
28 min by car · 12 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 30h 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → PQQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.