Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 10s period, WNW swell with 904 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 2.2m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 1AM. 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 | 1AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break down what’s happening at Back Strands over the next couple of weeks.
Gotta be straight with you – the first week is a total write-off. Tiny, weak waves and onshore wind making a mess of everything. The water’s about normal for this time of year, nothing special.
The swell does start to show a bit of life around Friday, July 24th, but the wind is still cross-onshore and choppy. The energy picks up to moderate (132), but it’s just not clean. That carries right through the weekend, with the swell hitting 6 ft on Saturday the 25th and the energy getting strong (517). The wind is howling though, making it lumpy cross-chop. Honestly, that’s kite-surfing weather, not a good paddle session.
The one bright spot comes on Friday, July 31st. The swell settles at 3 ft from the west, with a period of 11 seconds – a nice groundswell. The wind swings offshore from the SE, cleaning it right up. The combined energy is moderate (247). This is your best chance. It’s a reef break, so that long-period swell will wrap in and give you some good lines. The break is fairly consistent, but crowds are possible, so get there early.
The morning of Saturday, August 1st, still has a bit of clean swell with light offshore wind, but it’s fading to 2 ft. After that, it’s back to tiny, weak waves and poor conditions for the rest of the run.
The clear standout is Friday, July 31st. Offshore wind, 3 ft of west swell, and a reef break. It’s not huge, but it’ll be the most fun you’ll have in this dry spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu night, fresh winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | NNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 8 | NW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 30 | 22 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 132 | 144 | 181 | 517 | 463 | 399 | 481 | 640 | 904 | 663 | 520 | 586 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
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 | 5:31AM0.76m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:51 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:44 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — |
| kJ | 30 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 132 | 144 | — | — | 463 | — | — | — | — | 663 | 520 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 8 | NW 6 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 15 | — | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 5 | — | NW 7 | — | — | — | NW 6 | — | — | W 8 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 16 | 22 | 14 | — | 15 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | 181 | 517 | — | 399 | 481 | 640 | 904 | — | — | 586 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 261 | 1215 | 231 | 19 | 104 | 127 | 127 | 510 | 36 | 292 | 567 | 268 | 127 | 512 | 1013 | 243 | 727 | 434 | 27 | 104 | 265 |
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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