Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, NW swell with 33 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Back Strands this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Back Strands in the next 16 days are 0.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. Gonna be a tough stretch for the next couple of weeks, so don’t get your hopes up too early.
The long and short of it is we’ve got a whole lot of nothing for the first week and a half. From now right through to the 22nd of July, the surf is tiny and the conditions are pretty ordinary. You’ll see small 0.7ft to 2ft ripples, mostly with onshore winds, making it a real struggle. There’s a gap of about nine days where there’s nothing worth paddling out for. Just not our time.
Now, the only real glimmer on the horizon hits on Thursday the 23rd of July. Back Strands (reef) finally wakes up. Morning of the 23rd we’re looking at a clean 4ft west swell with a long 13-second period, and the wind is dead calm – glassy as it gets. The water is sitting at 62°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus. The combined energy jumps to a healthy 430 (moderate), but the afternoon sees it pick up to 5ft west with energy hitting 673. That’s a solid step up in power, but the wind swings onshore, making it a bit trickier. That 5ft is still manageable for most, but the morning glass is the window to aim for. The swell direction is a clean west which lines up perfectly with what this spot wants.
After that, Friday the 24th still has some push with 4ft west swell, but the wind is onshore and the quality drops. It fades pretty quickly into the weekend, so that Thursday the 23rd is your one true standout. If you can get out there, that morning session is the one to chase.
That’s it from me. Keep your eyes on the 23rd, and don’t bother with the rest.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 5 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 36 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 31 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross |
High Tide | 6:39PM3.74m | 7:07AM3.31m | 7:27PM3.91m | 7:54AM3.29m | 8:14PM3.97m | 8:40AM3.22m | 8:59PM3.91m | 9:25AM3.10m | 9:43PM3.72m | 10:10AM2.95m | 10:28PM3.45m | 10:57AM2.80m | 11:14PM3.14m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:13PM0.21m | 00:53AM0.06m | 12:59PM0.12m | 1:43AM-0.02m | 1:43PM0.09m | 2:30AM0.00m | 2:27PM0.15m | 3:15AM0.12m | 3:10PM0.28m | 4:00AM0.30m | 3:55PM0.49m | 4:45AM0.52m | 4:43PM0.73m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:01 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 9:59 | — | — | 9:58 | — | — | 9:57 | — | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | W 9 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 36 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 18 | — | W 11 | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 11 | WNW 10 | W 8 | — | W 8 | W 7 | W 10 | W 9 | — | W 8 | NNW 6 | — | NNW 6 |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 6 | — | 5 | 4 | 8 | 15 | — | 5 | 3 | — | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 7 | — | — | W 11 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 9 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 5 | — | — | NW 6 | — | — | NW 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 17 | — | — | 21 | — | — | 5 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 32 | 77 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 313 | 1818 | 292 | 261 | 458 | 19 | 19 | 104 | 117 | 231 | 276 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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