Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, W swell with 252 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period with W 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 Tuesday (Jul 28) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Back Strands in the next 16 days are 1.3m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I'm Rusty, and I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a bummer. We're looking at a long stretch of quiet, so let's get into it.
The only spot we're looking at is Back Strands, a reef that's fairly exposed to the swell. Water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing special.
The whole pattern is one of small, mostly poor surf. Right off the bat, we've got a gap with nothing worth paddling for. The first few days, from July 28th through the 31st, are all "poor surf conditions." The waves are tiny, around 3ft to 4ft, coming from the west and west-northwest, with short periods of 7 to 8 seconds. That's short-period windswell, no power. The wind is a problem too – cross-onshore and fresh, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting in the 100-200 range. Not a surfer's day.
Heading into August, Saturday the 1st has a slight bump to 5ft to 5ft from the west-northwest, but the period is still short (7-8 seconds) and the wind is still a fresh cross-onshore. The energy is a bit higher, around 228, but it's still messy. Sunday the 2nd drops right back to 2ft. This whole stretch is a dud.
Then we hit a flat spell. From Monday the 3rd all the way to August 12th, the swell is tiny. We're talking waves of 0.7ft to 1ft. The energy numbers are in the single digits and low tens – very weak. There's a hint of long-period swell around the 6th and 7th with a period of 10-11 seconds, but it's so small it's not a thing. The wind does go clean, cross-off, or even glassy a few times, like the morning of August 9th when it's glassy, and the morning of the 10th when it's offshore. But with waves that small, it's a flat ocean. There's no standout here. The best you'd get is a glassy, knee-high ripple, but that's not surfing.
For a reef like Back Strands, you need push. Based on the energy (weak) and the size, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, but even then, you'd need more wind.
So, to wrap it up: we've got a 16-day window with a lot of flat days. The first few days have some windswell, but it's poor quality. After that, it's a long, quiet run. The forecast could change, but for now, I'd hang the wetsuit up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon night, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Fri morning, light winds from the NW by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 195 | 160 | 201 | 109 | 104 | 108 | 131 | 71 | 75 | 131 | 111 | 123 | 228 | 221 | 149 | 76 | 50 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 15 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:01AM2.79m | 6:22PM3.22m | 6:36AM2.90m | 6:56PM3.38m | 7:10AM2.98m | 7:29PM3.51m | 7:43AM3.03m | 8:00PM3.57m | 8:15AM3.05m | 8:32PM3.56m | 8:49AM3.03m | 9:04PM3.50m | 9:25AM2.98m | 9:38PM3.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:56AM0.63m | 00:32AM0.61m | 12:30PM0.48m | 1:06AM0.49m | 1:03PM0.38m | 1:38AM0.40m | 1:34PM0.32m | 2:10AM0.35m | 2:05PM0.33m | 2:42AM0.35m | 2:38PM0.38m | 3:15AM0.38m | 3:13PM0.48m | 3:50AM0.46m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | | |  | |
 | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:39 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:32 | — | — | 9:30 |
mm | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | WNW 7 | NW 9 | NW 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 |
| kJ | 195 | 160 | 201 | 109 | 104 | 24 | 9 | 71 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 76 | 50 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | NW 12 | — | — | NNW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | NNW 10 | W 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | NW 10 | W 9 | NW 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 | WNW 8 | — | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 108 | 131 | — | 75 | 131 | 111 | 123 | 228 | 221 | 149 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 114 | 0 | 53 | 104 | 22 | 512 | 767 | 22 | 512 | 771 | 53 | 534 | 283 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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