Back Strands Surf Break

Lat Long: 54.45° N 8.49° W

Back Strands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 21 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Back Strands sea temperature is
17.2° C
2.6° 

Back Strands surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Back Strands surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period, WNW swell with 551 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with WNW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Back Strands this week:

The surf forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Back Strands in the next 16 days are 1.8m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (IST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Mon 27th Jul)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Best Surf10PM (Mon 27th Jul)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Most Powerful10AM (Sat 25th Jul)6ft (1.8m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good look at the charts for Back Strands, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. We’ve got a solid 16-day window to work with, but the first week is mostly a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. There’s a real gap from now through to the end of July with hardly a sniff of quality. From the start of the forecast period on July 21st, we’re looking at days of onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a very notable anomaly and feels more like a mid-summer bath than a typical July.

The real kicker is the consistent poor conditions. The combined swell energy is mostly weak, sitting in the double digits (between 11 and 78) for the first ten days, barely enough to get a wave on a reef like this. Winds are pinned from the west and northwest, and they’re cross-onshore or onshore, making things choppy. The best we get in that first week is a ‘poor surf conditions’ tag with zero scores.

There is a brief flicker of something a bit cleaner around the 28th and 30th of July mornings. On the 28th, a light SSW breeze gives us a cross-offshore wind and clean conditions, with a 4ft swell from the WNW (combined energy of 193 – moderate). That’s a window for a few surfable waves, but it’s still very ordinary, and the swell is a bit short of juice. Then on the 30th of July morning, another light southerly cross-off keeps it clean with a 3ft WNW swell (combined energy of 129 – still on the lower side). These are your only real chances in the first two weeks.

For a standout, if you’re desperate for a surf, the Tuesday the 28th morning is your best bet. The wind is light and cross-offshore, which will make that reef look glassy, and the 4ft swell from the WNW has enough period (9 seconds) to hold a line. It won’t be epic, but it’s the cleanest conditions of the whole run. Keep in mind, the optimum swell direction for Back Strands is from the west, so the WNW is slightly angled but still okay.

Looking into early August, the pattern flips to more southerly winds, which are cross-offshore for this spot, but the swell size drops right off. The 2nd of August morning shows a clean, cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a tiny 1ft from the NW with a 6-second period (combined energy of just 15). That’s barely a ripple and the short period won’t hold up on the reef. The 5th of August morning picks up a bit of a stronger cross-offshore breeze (15 mph from the SSW) and a 2ft W swell, but the wind is moderate, so it’s not ideal.

Honestly, for most of this 16-day run, the conditions are better suited for a day on the sand than a day on the water. The northeast corner of this area might be more interesting for a kite session with that persistent west wind and occasional bump in the swell, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a waiting game. There are patches of clean conditions, but the swell just isn’t there to back it up.

I’d keep an eye on that Tuesday 28th morning – it’s the only real standout in the lot.
Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Fri night, light winds from the WSW by Sun night).

Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
W
10
0.6
NNW
6
0.5
NW
6
0.3
W
9
0.4
NW
7
0.4
NW
6
0.3
NW
6
0.3
W
8
0.3
WNW
11
1
WNW
9
1
WNW
8
1.3
W
8
1.8
WNW
9
1.6
WNW
10
1.3
WNW
10
1.1
WNW
9
1.5
WNW
9
1.4
WNW
9
1.2
WNW
9
1.1
WNW
9
1.1
W
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
30
22
16
15
16
14
6
12
23
166
140
239
551
480
301
220
344
300
259
220
203
Wind (km/h)
20
N
20
NNW
15
NNW
10
NNW
15
NW
10
NNW
10
WNW
15
WNW
15
W
20
WSW
20
W
25
SW
25
W
25
WSW
20
WNW
20
NW
25
NW
10
WNW
15
SW
10
NW
0
S
Wind State
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
on
cross
on
glassy
High Tide
11:47AM2.65m
00:05AM2.82m
12:44PM2.54m
1:06AM2.57m
1:52PM2.49m
2:18AM2.43m
3:06PM2.53m
3:33AM2.43m
4:11PM2.65m
4:34AM2.52m
5:02PM2.83m
5:21AM2.66m
5:44PM3.03m
Low Tide
5:37PM0.97m
6:24AM0.96m
6:44PM1.16m
7:27AM1.11m
8:06PM1.25m
8:38AM1.15m
9:25PM1.21m
9:43AM1.09m
10:27PM1.08m
10:36AM0.96m
11:14PM0.92m
11:19AM0.79m
11:55PM0.76m
cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
mod rain
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:26
5:26
5:28
5:31
5:31
5:33
5:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:52
9:51
9:50
9:47
9:46
9:45
9:44
 mm
2
2
9
4
Temp °C
13
13
12
15
16
15
14
15
13
16
16
15
15
15
15
15
15
14
15
15
15
Feels °C
10
9
9
13
14
14
13
13
12
13
12
13
11
12
12
11
11
12
14
13
15
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Back Strands:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Back Strands 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 Back Strands Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Back Strands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Back Strands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Back Strands 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 (Back Strands) 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 Back Strands 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.

Are you planning a holiday in Sligo? If you are looking for accommodation near Back Strands, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Sligo, consider staying in Sligo which is 19 km (12 miles) away. Other places in and around Sligo where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Killybegs which is 21 km (13 miles) away, Enniskillen, Ballina and Letterkenny.

Nearest locationNearest