Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period, WNW swell with 379 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 1.3m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for Back Strands over the next two weeks or so.
Honestly, we’re looking at a slow, flat start. The first several days through Thursday July 23rd, it’s all small junk – wave heights barely 1–2ft, short periods, weak energy readings sitting below 50 in the combined scale. Winds are mostly cross-onshore or straight onshore, so it’s choppy and not worth the paddle.
From early Friday July 24th, we see a slight lift. Wave height nosing up to around 3–3ft, period 10 seconds, combined energy hitting 108 – still pretty weak. Winds are cross-onshore from the WSW, so still messy. Saturday the 25th is similar, with 3–4ft waves in the afternoon, 8 second period, and 186 combined energy. Not clean.
Sunday July 26th holds around 4ft, 10 second period, combined energy around 250–289, but the wind is WNW cross-onshore, making it lumpy.
Then on Monday July 27th, we get a real standout window. That afternoon the wind swings to SSW at 9 mph, going cross-offshore, and combined energy jumps to 609. Wave height near 6ft, period 10 seconds from the west. That’s a promising mix for Back Strands: a moderate-groundswell, clean conditions, and the reef handling that west direction well. It’s the best call of the whole outlook. But keep in mind, it’s a week out – worth watching.
Tuesday July 28th is a different beast. Wave heights hit 10ft in the morning, 11 second period, combined energy screaming 2136 – that’s heavy. But the wind rages from the WNW at 28 mph, cross-onshore and messy. That’s for experts only, and with the onshore wind creating chaos, kite-surfing might be more your thing than paddle-surfing that day.
The last few days of July into early August see a slow decline: wave heights around 3–4ft, combined energy dropping to the low hundreds and below, with mostly onshore or light winds. Not much to get excited about.
So, best advice: ride the flattish spell early, then mark Monday afternoon the 27th July as your best chance for clean, solid waves. After that, a big, windy pulse hits, then we fade into small stuff again.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 22 | 21 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 107 | 103 | 104 | 123 | 352 | 314 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:28PM3.45m | 10:57AM2.80m | 11:14PM3.14m | 11:47AM2.65m | 00:05AM2.82m | 12:44PM2.54m | 1:06AM2.57m | 1:52PM2.49m | 2:18AM2.43m | 3:06PM2.53m | 3:33AM2.43m | 4:11PM2.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:45AM0.52m | 4:43PM0.73m | 5:31AM0.76m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | |  |  |  | | |
 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:51 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:46 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 6 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 107 | 103 | — | 63 | 352 | 314 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 8 | NW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 11 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | — | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | — | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 22 | — | 11 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 18 | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 104 | 123 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 323 | 19 | 243 | 521 | 19 | 292 | 528 | 231 | 231 | 104 | 231 | 127 | 521 | 80 | 53 | 1272 | 292 | 876 | 512 | 1211 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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