Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, W swell with 235 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a honest look at what’s coming our way.
Alright mate, to be straight with you - the next couple of weeks are mostly a write-off. We’ve got a long, flat stretch ahead before anything worth paddling out for shows up. The swell energy is weak as, and the winds are junk. For the first ten days or so, you’re not going to find anything worth getting wet for. It’s a proper gap.
The only break on offer is Back Strands. It’s a reef setup, fairly exposed to the west, with the optimum swell direction being west. The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t arrive until Monday, July 20th.
Now, July 20th - that’s the standout. Monday morning brings a solid 7ft swell out of the west, with a 10-second period. The combined energy jumps right up to 796 - that’s proper moderate-to-strong energy. And the kicker? The wind is light and offshore from the ENE, just a slight air, so the conditions are clean. Expect very good surf conditions. This is the one to circle on the calendar.
It gets even bigger that afternoon, with 8ft, but the wind swings onshore from the NW, making it marginal. The 8ft is getting into expert-only territory.
Then Tuesday, July 21st morning is another strong one - 7ft west swell, 10-second period, combined energy of 996, and again with that light offshore ENE breeze and clean conditions. Expect very good surf again. The afternoon sees another 8ft west swell but with onshore wind, so look to the mornings.
For the rest of the period, it’s tiny or flat. The water temperature on the morning of the 6th was a notable 61°, which is 4° above normal - much warmer than usual for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit if you do get out.
So, to sum it up: don’t bother for the first ten days. Save your energy for Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, first light. That’s where the magic is.
Stay stoked,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 21 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 187 | 161 | 196 | 210 | 189 | 160 | 164 | 142 | 133 | 159 | 123 | 73 | 227 | 167 | 166 | 113 | 84 | 53 | 32 | 18 | 9 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:37AM2.66m | 10:53PM3.12m | 11:28AM2.61m | 11:42PM3.01m | 12:27PM2.59m | 00:41AM2.92m | 1:34PM2.63m | 1:52AM2.87m | 2:45PM2.75m | 3:06AM2.90m | 3:52PM2.96m | 4:17AM3.01m | 4:53PM3.22m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:20PM0.80m | 5:13AM0.73m | 5:10PM0.93m | 6:06AM0.77m | 6:13PM1.03m | 7:10AM0.79m | 7:30PM1.04m | 8:20AM0.76m | 8:50PM0.94m | 9:28AM0.66m | 10:02PM0.72m | 10:29AM0.52m | 11:05PM0.47m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:04 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 23 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 187 | 161 | 196 | 210 | 189 | 160 | 164 | 142 | 133 | 159 | 123 | 73 | 227 | 167 | 166 | 113 | 84 | 53 | 32 | 18 | 9 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 2 | NE 2 | ENE 2 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 27 | 22 | 27 | 283 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 19 | 10 | 243 | 21 | 17 | 117 | 7 | 7 | 121 | 308 |
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