Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s period, WNW swell with 2,071 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period. 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 2.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 10PM. 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 (Sep 12) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Back Strands.
The first half of the window looks pretty average, to be honest. We’ve got a few windows where the surf could be okay for a paddle, but the wind is often in the way. The swell energy is mostly moderate, with a few stronger pulses later on, but the wind keeps messing things up.
Friday 11th September starts off poor in the morning – cross-on wind and choppy surf. The afternoon though, you get a bit of clean surf with a 4ft west-northwest swell and a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 276. It’s the first decent window, but it’s not a standout.
Saturday 12th September sees a jump in swell energy, hitting 1048 in the morning with a 7ft west swell and a 12-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and messy. This is more of a brute than a beauty. The 7ft size is getting up there for beginners.
Sunday 13th September is a much better call for a surf. Morning has clean waves with a light cross-off breeze. You’re looking at a 4ft west-northwest swell with an 11-second period, moderate wave energy at 286. The afternoon drops to 3ft, still clean. This is one of the cleaner days on offer.
The first real standout for me comes on Monday 21st September. Monday morning sees a clean, offshore wind from the southeast at 6 mph, with a 5ft west-northwest swell and an 11-second period. The combined energy is a solid 486, which is moderate groundswell territory. That offshore wind and clean conditions will make for some nice lines at this reef break. The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 60°. It’s a quality window.
Another good call is Friday 25th September morning. A gentle cross-off breeze, 5ft west-northwest swell, 11-second period, and 603 combined energy. Clean conditions again, and the swell is punchy enough for a good session.
There’s a big run of poor conditions from Tuesday 22nd September onwards, with strong winds and messy seas, so if you can, target the 21st or the 25th. The 21st is the real gem in this run.
Don’t get too excited about the bigger swells around the 17th and 24th – 8ft and 8ft with strong onshore or cross-shore winds are only for the experts, and the wind will likely make it a washing machine. That 24th afternoon has a very long 14-second period swell, but the cross-shore wind and chop ruin it.
For the second week, just know that the 21st and 25th mornings are your best bets. It’s a patchy outlook overall.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri night, calm by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 | WNW 9 | WNW 13 | W 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 205 | 276 | 823 | 1048 | 913 | 488 | 286 | 109 | 84 | 28 | 275 | 282 | 426 | 627 | 1365 | 763 | 342 | 503 | 1230 | 1366 | 1945 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:48PM3.94m | 7:12AM3.45m | 7:25PM3.90m | 7:47AM3.46m | 8:00PM3.74m | 8:20AM3.39m | 8:34PM3.49m | 8:53AM3.26m | 9:08PM3.19m | 9:26AM3.07m | 9:44PM2.87m | 10:03AM2.85m | 10:23PM2.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:26PM0.09m | 1:01AM-0.11m | 1:03PM0.03m | 1:34AM-0.07m | 1:39PM0.07m | 2:06AM0.07m | 2:15PM0.19m | 2:37AM0.27m | 2:50PM0.39m | 3:07AM0.52m | 3:27PM0.65m | 3:40AM0.79m | 4:07PM0.93m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:45 | — |
mm | — | — | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 13 | — | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | NW 13 | W 9 | NW 12 | — | — | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | WNW 13 |
| kJ | 205 | 276 | 823 | — | 913 | 488 | 286 | 109 | 84 | 28 | 7 | 282 | 5 | — | — | 763 | 342 | — | — | — | 1945 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | NW 13 | W 9 | — | NW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | 7 | 23 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 4 | W 12 | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | S 3 | W 11 | — | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | — | W 3 | W 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 16 | 1048 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 275 | — | 426 | 627 | 1365 | — | 6 | 503 | 1230 | 1366 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 0 | 265 | 53 | 27 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 27 | 143 | 1163 | 1211 | 439 | 265 | 452 | 457 | 504 | 727 | 265 |
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