Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with 150 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Back Strands in the next 16 days are 1.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, let me run it down for you in feet and miles per hour.
Back Strands is in for a pretty dull period overall. For days on end, the swell is tiny and weak, with combined energy barely scraping into the low two digits – Monday morning only has weak energy (72). The water temp is 16°, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so there is that.
Monday morning is the pick of a very ordinary bunch: a 2ft swell from the WNW with an 8-second period and glassy wind. But the waves are just surfable, nothing special. After that, Tuesday and Wednesday have offshore wind but hopelessly small surf – around 1ft. Thursday morning shows a slight bump to 2ft and weak energy (100), but still very ordinary.
From Thursday afternoon onward, we hit a big gap of poor surf, choppy cross-onshore winds, and messy conditions. Saturday sees a pulse to 3ft from the west, but with cross-onshore wind it’s a bumpy mess. The rest of the week is tiny and wind-affected.
In the second week, Thursday, August 20th brings the biggest swell of the whole forecast: 6ft from the WNW with moderate energy (356 then 460). But the wind is a stiff cross-onshore from the north at 18-25 mph, so while there is size, it’s going to be choppy and messy – possibly more interesting for kite surfing than a clean surf.
Friday morning, August 21st, the swell drops to 4ft from the WNW with a 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy – clean conditions at last. The energy is moderate (250). But it’s still very ordinary, and by the afternoon the wind turns onshore again. After that, it’s back to tiny leftovers.
So there we are – a long, flat run with very little to recommend. If you are keen, Friday morning August 21st is the only decent chance for a clean wave, but keep your expectations low. The rest of the time, save your energy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 13 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 67 | 45 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 37 | 33 | 32 | 116 | 100 | 70 | 81 | 71 | 50 | 150 | 134 | 96 | 78 | 48 | 26 | 31 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:48PM3.24m | 5:19AM3.04m | 5:41PM3.57m | 6:10AM3.21m | 6:28PM3.84m | 6:55AM3.32m | 7:11PM4.00m | 7:36AM3.37m | 7:52PM4.02m | 8:16AM3.35m | 8:31PM3.91m | 8:54AM3.26m | 9:09PM3.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:22AM0.67m | 11:06PM0.47m | 11:16AM0.43m | 11:58PM0.19m | 12:02PM0.22m | 00:44AM-0.01m | 12:45PM0.08m | 1:26AM-0.10m | 1:25PM0.02m | 2:05AM-0.08m | 2:04PM0.06m | 2:43AM0.05m | 2:43PM0.20m | 3:18AM0.25m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:16 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:13 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:04 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | — | W 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | W 10 |
| kJ | 67 | 45 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 33 | 32 | 116 | 100 | 70 | 81 | — | 50 | — | — | 96 | 78 | 48 | 26 | 31 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 11 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | WNW 7 | NNW 7 | NW 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | NW 7 |
| kJ | 5 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | WSW 2 | — | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 71 | — | 150 | 134 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 27 | 313 | 313 | 355 | 415 | 527 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
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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