Backsides
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s
Tue 3 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- WNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- SSE 20 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 226kJ
- Wind
- SSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 332, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 527, too small
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 751, fair
- Sun 810, poor
- Mon 936, poor
- Tue 1055, fair
- Wed 1134, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Backsides does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, poor | 3 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 20 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 226kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north, 8 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:42 +0.2 mLow 08:12 −0.4 mHigh 15:02 +0.8 mLow 22:04 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:01 +0.2 mLow 09:37 −0.4 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 23:02 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 10:54 −0.4 mHigh 17:13 +0.7 mLow 23:50 −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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Backsides 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Flat rock 0.1 km away
- Flat Rock Reef 0.3 km away
- Flat Rock - Ballina - Left 0.4 km away
- Sharps Beach 0.8 km away
- Black Head 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Backsides
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (113°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (293°). 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 750 m out (1 in 76). 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 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ballina, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 14 surf spots.
Water about 23°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$1,860–US$3,520 each
about US$1,860–US$3,520 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$892–US$1,850 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,860–US$3,520 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 29 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Ballina its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lennox Head on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Suffolk Park on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 42 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 30m
About 29h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BNE, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 3h 15m by road
Flights MDW → BNE on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.