Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, W swell with 810 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s 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 (Aug 10) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. 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 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Got to be honest – lookin' at the next 16 days for Back Strands, it's a real flat spell.
Right from the start, we're in a long, quiet stretch. The first week shows wave energy that's basically nothing, with combined swell readings barely hitting double digits – like 13 on Monday morning, and it gets even weaker. The swell is tiny, mostly 0.3ft to 1ft, with a short, weak period. The wind is sometimes okay, with some clean moments like Tuesday the 11th afternoon when it goes glassy, but there's just no swell to surf.
We do see a pulse of energy mid-week around the 5th and 6th of August, with the swell bumping up to 5ft to 7ft and the combined energy jumping to 276 then 592. But don't let it fool you – that's with a strong cross-onshore wind (34 mph on Wednesday morning!) that'll have it completely blown out and messy. This kind of setup would be more interesting for kite surfing than for paddling out.
After that, it drops right back down. From the 7th through to the end of the forecast on the 18th of August, we're back to ankle-biters – 0.6ft to 2ft – with weak energy and mostly onshore or cross-onshore breezes. The combined energy values hang between 3 and 90, which is just weak. There's nothing that qualifies as a standout.
So, plain and simple: there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. It's a long, blank run. Forecasts can always change, but right now, we're in a dry spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 37mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Tue morning, near gales from the W by Wed morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the SW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NNW 9 | WSW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | W 5 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 78 | 276 | 592 | 348 | 82 | 40 | 28 | 45 | 177 | 311 | 810 | 304 | 195 | 207 | 180 | 67 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:25AM2.98m | 9:38PM3.38m | 10:04AM2.91m | 10:18PM3.21m | 10:49AM2.80m | 11:06PM3.01m | 11:45AM2.69m | 00:08AM2.80m | 12:58PM2.63m | 1:30AM2.67m | 2:23PM2.69m | 3:01AM2.68m | 3:43PM2.92m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.48m | 3:50AM0.46m | 3:52PM0.63m | 4:31AM0.58m | 4:39PM0.80m | 5:21AM0.75m | 5:39PM0.97m | 6:27AM0.90m | 7:03PM1.08m | 7:52AM0.97m | 8:42PM1.01m | 9:16AM0.88m | 10:04PM0.77m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | |
 | 5:47 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:21 | — | — | 9:19 |
mm | — | — | 12 | — | 2 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 10 | — | — | — | W 10 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 6 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | 8 | 40 | 7 | 41 | 177 | 311 | — | — | 195 | 207 | 180 | 67 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | NW 9 | NW 9 | W 9 | NW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 11 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 2 | — | ESE 2 | SSE 2 | — | WSW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | — | W 5 | SW 3 | — | SW 4 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 78 | 276 | 592 | 348 | 82 | — | 28 | 5 | — | 14 | 810 | 304 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 46 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 36 | 399 | 415 | 500 | 767 | 406 | 53 | 36 | 53 | 145 | 267 | 265 | 283 | 53 | 53 | 32 | 0 |
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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