Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, W swell with 557 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s 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 24) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 1.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on offer for Back Strands. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burn for the next week or so, but there’s a small window of clean waves that might just make it worth hanging on.
The pattern coming up is pretty flat and windy for a while. We’re looking at a run of poor conditions starting from Wednesday the 19th right through to Sunday the 24th of August. That’s nearly a week of onshore slop and chop, with swell heights barely scraping 6 ft on that first Wednesday but with a messy cross-shore wind. Don’t bother paddling out – it’s all blown out.
Now, the first real glimmer comes on Monday the 24th of August. The morning shows a clean 4 ft swell from the WNW with a light cross-offshore breeze. That’s a solid 11-second period too, so there’s a bit of push behind it. The combined energy is moderate (319). But the standout is Monday afternoon. The wind goes totally glassy – dead calm – and the swell bumps up a touch to 4 ft from the west. This is your best bet in the whole forecast. Clean, glassy conditions and a fair amount of energy (346). The water temp is about average for this time of year, so not much to report there.
After that, it drops off again. Tuesday the 25th has some small clean waves in the morning, but it’s tiny. The rest of that week is mostly poor or flat, with only a couple of glassy moments but no real size. Then we get a big pulse around Sunday the 30th of August. The swell jumps to 8-8 ft from the west with a long 12-second period and massive energy readings (1544-1665). That’s a lot of water moving, but the wind is straight onshore. For a reef break like Back Strands, that’s going to be a mess – big, lumpy, and unsurfable. That’s only for experts and even then, it’s not looking pretty. The same big, onshore energy continues into Monday the 31st.
The long-range into early September shows a few cleaner days but with very small waves. The best of those might be the 1st of September afternoon, with glassy conditions and a small 3 ft swell – surfable but ordinary.
So, to wrap it up: the clear standout is Monday the 24th of August. Go for the afternoon session if you can – glassy, clean 4 ft west swell at Back Strands. That’s your moment.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue night, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Wed night, fresh winds from the N by Thu morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 552 | 490 | 369 | 160 | 90 | 120 | 75 | 54 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 34 | 37 | 319 | 346 | 325 | 125 | 40 | 65 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:51AM2.76m | 11:11PM2.67m | 11:41AM2.56m | 00:08AM2.39m | 12:52PM2.41m | 1:34AM2.22m | 2:28PM2.40m | 3:12AM2.25m | 3:50PM2.56m | 4:19AM2.41m | 4:44PM2.80m | 5:04AM2.60m | 5:23PM3.06m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:31AM0.78m | 4:48PM0.95m | 5:14AM1.05m | 5:46PM1.21m | 6:15AM1.27m | 7:18PM1.37m | 7:50AM1.36m | 9:06PM1.34m | 9:21AM1.26m | 10:15PM1.16m | 10:19AM1.06m | 11:01PM0.94m | 11:00AM0.83m | 11:37PM0.71m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 8:57 | — | — | 8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — |
mm | 5 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 15 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | — | NW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 |
| kJ | 552 | — | 369 | 160 | 90 | — | 75 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 34 | 37 | 319 | 346 | 325 | 125 | 40 | 65 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 10 | — | — | — | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 7 | 7 | — | 10 | — | — | — | 13 | 12 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 10 | — | NNW 8 | NNW 4 | NW 8 | — | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | — | SW 3 | — | — | SSW 2 | — | S 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | — |
| kJ | — | 490 | — | 134 | 35 | 120 | — | 54 | 20 | 14 | 21 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 14 | 21 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 135 | 83 | 197 | 396 | 270 | 319 | 313 | 313 | 178 | 178 | 272 | 53 | 127 | 53 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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