Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, WNW swell with 863 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 2.1m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore 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 (2.1m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Lookin’ at the forecast for Back Strands, and I gotta be straight with ya – it’s a tough stretch. We’re staring down a long, dry spell with barely a whisper of rideable surf for the next week and a half. The first recommendation doesn’t even pop up until Wednesday, July 29th, so we’ve got a solid 8-day gap with nothing worth paddling out for.
The water’s running a balmy 63°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – feels like we’re in the tropics, but the surf ain’t playin’ along.
Tuesday, July 21st through Sunday, July 27th – forget it. We’ve got persistent onshore and cross-onshore winds whipping up the bay, with swell heights bouncing between a pathetic 1.0 ft and 7 ft. The combined energy is weak to moderate (36 to 631), but every single session is tagged “poor surf conditions.” The winds are a mess, up to 22 mph from the WNW, turning the ocean into a lumpy, choppy nightmare. The best wave on offer is from the WNW, but with the wind tearing it apart, it’s not worth the paddle.
Monday, July 28th is no better – still cross-shore winds at 22 mph with a weak 3 ft swell. The energy is dropping (177 to 164), and the conditions are still blown out. This stretch is a write-off.
Now, here’s the one glimmer of hope. On Wednesday, July 29th, the morning session finally shows some promise. The wind swings around to a light 6 mph offshore from the SE, and the swell pushes up to 5 ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 441 – moderate but punchy. The report says “expect good surf conditions” and it’s looking clean. This is the standout of the whole period. But it’s a one-morning wonder; by the afternoon, the wind shifts back onshore, and it’s back to poor surf.
The rest of the run from Thursday, July 30th, through Monday, August 5th is a slow fade. Swell drops to 1.0 ft to 3 ft, energy fades into the double digits (35 to 165), and the winds are mostly onshore or cross-shore. There’s a couple of moments on August 3rd and 4th where the wind gets clean, but with only 2 ft of swell and weak energy (61 to 78), it’s just “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” Not a classic.
So, if you’re keen, pencil in the morning of Wednesday, July 29th. That’s your best shot. The rest… well, it’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 21 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 202 | 167 | 197 | 394 | 391 | 289 | 528 | 631 | 863 | 573 | 425 | 253 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 11 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 23 | — | — | — | — | 391 | 289 | — | — | — | 573 | 425 | 253 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 12 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | — | — | — | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 21 | 20 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | 15 | 202 | 167 | 197 | 394 | — | — | 528 | 631 | 863 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1215 | 336 | 19 | 1013 | 104 | 127 | 521 | 51 | 292 | 1123 | 127 | 567 | 265 | 127 | 512 | 727 | 53 | 504 | 89 | 127 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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