
Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, W swell with 169 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. 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 1.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.
Honestly, I’m scratching my head a bit. For the next sixteen days, we’ve got almost nothing that’s worth getting excited about at Back Strands. It’s a reef set-up, and it’s fairly consistent, but the forecast is just one long string of poor surf conditions. The water is sitting at 61°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only mild comfort.
The first real chance of something that looks like a wave comes on Tuesday, July 28th, but it’s a no-go right from the start. We’ve got 4ft of swell from the west, with a short period of 8 seconds and a combined energy of 165 (moderate). The problem is a cross-shore wind from the southwest at 12 mph, putting a chop on it. It’s a write-off.
Wednesday the 29th is a bit smaller, with 3ft from the west-northwest, period still 8 seconds, and energy dropping to 111. The wind is lighter from the west at 6 mph, but it’s cross-on, and it’s still messy. Thursday the 30th sees a bump in wind to 16 mph from the west-northwest, with 4ft of swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wave energy is 143. The wind is onshore, so it’s just a bumpy, choppy mess.
We drift through the end of July and into the first week of August with nothing but poor conditions. The swell drops off, the wind stays bad, and the energy readings fall into the weak category. By Sunday, August 2nd, we get a tiny 2ft from the northwest, period of 8 seconds, and the wind finally goes glassy from the east-southeast at 3 mph. But the energy is only 54, and it’s still labeled as poor surf conditions. It’s a tease.
There’s a gap from about August 3rd through to August 7th where the swell is tiny, often under 2ft, and the energy is in the single or low double digits. It’s flat. No surf to speak of.
Then, on Saturday, August 8th, we see a bit of a pulse. Swell comes up to 3ft from the west, with a 9-second period and energy of 165. The wind is onshore from the northwest at 3 mph, but it’s still poor. By the afternoon, it’s 4ft from the west, 8-second period, and energy of 173, but the wind is onshore from the west-northwest at 6 mph. It’s just not clean.
Sunday the 9th has a moment where the wind goes glassy in the afternoon from the west-northwest at 3 mph, with 2ft of swell from the west, 7-second period, and energy of 54. But it’s still poor. The rest of the run fades out to nothing.
So, what’s the standout? There isn’t one. Not a single session in this whole sixteen-day window looks good. The best we can say is that the reef is fairly consistent, but with the wind and swell quality being so poor, there’s nothing to recommend. For a beginner, anything over 5ft is too much, and we don’t even get that. For an expert, you need over 8ft, and we don’t get that either. The short periods (mostly under 8 seconds) mean the waves are weak and crumbly.
This is a stretch of flat and poor conditions. It’s a blank run. It’s a good time to clean your gear or check the cams elsewhere. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a hard pass.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Tue night, fresh winds from the WNW by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NNW 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
163 | 169 | 109 | 83 | 87 | 135 | 111 | 67 | 98 | 95 | 66 | 62 | 49 | 84 | 51 | 31 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 11 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:22PM3.22m | 6:36AM2.90m | 6:56PM3.38m | 7:10AM2.98m | 7:29PM3.51m | 7:43AM3.03m | 8:00PM3.57m | 8:15AM3.05m | 8:32PM3.56m | 8:49AM3.03m | 9:04PM3.50m | 9:25AM2.98m | 9:38PM3.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:32AM0.61m | 12:30PM0.48m | 1:06AM0.49m | 1:03PM0.38m | 1:38AM0.40m | 1:34PM0.32m | 2:10AM0.35m | 2:05PM0.33m | 2:42AM0.35m | 2:38PM0.38m | 3:15AM0.38m | 3:13PM0.48m | 3:50AM0.46m | |||||||
— | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | |
— | 9:42 | — | — | 9:39 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:32 | — | — | 9:30 | |
mm | 6 | 2 | 7 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 9 | N 8 | W 10 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 |
163 | 169 | 109 | 83 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | 49 | 84 | 51 | 31 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | N 8 | — | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 11 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 8 | — | — | NW 8 | W 10 | W 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 2 |
— | — | — | — | 87 | 135 | 111 | 67 | 98 | 95 | 66 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 7 | 53 | 127 | 48 | 442 | 534 | 22 | 53 | 497 | 53 | 282 | 527 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 276 | 7 |
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)
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.










