Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, WNW swell with 683 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 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 Monday (Aug 10) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m 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 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be 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 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I’ll be straight with you – this is a grim stretch for Back Strands. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with very little to get excited about. The first proper surfable window doesn’t show up until Saturday, the 8th of August, and even then it’s only marginal. Before that, we’ve got a solid run of poor conditions with small, weak swell and messy winds. The whole period from now through to Friday the 7th is pretty much a write-off.
The water temperature is sitting at 61°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick wetsuit just yet.
The one standout in this whole forecast is Monday morning, the 10th of August. The models are calling for a 5 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds, and combined energy of 362 (moderate). What makes this special is the wind: dead calm, glassy conditions. That’s a rare treat at Back Strands. The swell direction is straight out of the west-northwest, which is close to the optimum W direction for this reef. It’s a fairly consistent spot, so it should offer some fun, clean waves. Just keep in mind crowds can show up sometimes, especially when it’s looking this good.
After that, the surf drops off again quickly. Tuesday the 11th has a tiny 2 ft NW swell with clean offshore ESE winds, but it’s small. Then we drift into another long gap of poor or marginal surf right through to the end of the 16-day window. There’s a bit of a pulse around Thursday the 13th through Friday the 14th with 4 ft to 5 ft swell from the west, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s messy. Not worth paddling out for.
So, to sum it up: if you’re keen, save your energy for Monday morning, the 10th of August. That’s the only proper clean session on offer. The rest of the period is a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Tue morning, strong winds from the WNW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 11 | 115 | 679 | 417 | 130 | 53 | 42 | 62 | 123 | 430 | 480 | 355 | 388 | 333 | 463 | 383 | 551 | 362 | 290 | 154 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 4:18AM2.84m | 4:48PM3.24m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:22AM0.67m | 11:06PM0.47m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | |  | | |  | | | |  | | | |
 | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:21 | — | — | 9:19 | — | — | 9:16 |
mm | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NW 8 | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | W 6 | WNW 8 | — | W 10 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 11 | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | — | 62 | 123 | — | 480 | 355 | — | 333 | — | — | — | — | 290 | 154 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 3 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | SW 4 | W 9 | — | SSW 4 | W 9 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 115 | 679 | 417 | 130 | 53 | 42 | — | 12 | 430 | — | 15 | 388 | — | 463 | 383 | 551 | 362 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 89 | 104 | 486 | 513 | 721 | 268 | 415 | 22 | 267 | 145 | 53 | 53 | 22 | 27 | 292 | 1303 | 117 | 0 | 17 | 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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