Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, W swell with 3,257 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 7AM (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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s. 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 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's happening at Back Strands.
Look, I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a tough pill to swallow. For a spot that's supposed to be a reef, the wind and weather just aren't lining up for us. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a write-off, and honestly, you're not going to want to paddle out for most of it.
We start off near flat from the 28th of August right through the end of the month. Tiny little bumps in the 0.7ft to 2ft range with weak energy (as low as 8-45), and the wind is all over the place – onshore, cross-shore, sometimes glassy but with no power behind it. Nothing to get excited about.
Come the start of September, things get bigger but uglier. Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September see the swell bump up to 3ft and then 5ft, with moderate energy (110-305), but it's all wind-affected. That westerly wind is hammering it with a cross-on angle, making it choppy and lumpy. Not what you want on a reef.
The roughest stretch hits around the 3rd to the 4th of September. The sea gets proper angry with swell climbing to 8ft and 10ft – that's expert territory for sure. The wave energy is strong, hitting 1665 and then a massive 2914, but it comes with a brutal westerly cross-on wind. The period gets long, up to 13 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, but it's completely blown out. You wouldn't catch me out there; this looks more like a kite session than a surf.
Things start to settle down slowly after that, but we're still fighting onshore winds through the first week of September. By the 7th of September, the swell drops back to 4ft but the wind is still messy.
The only glimmer of a chance comes right at the tail end on the 8th of September. Tuesday morning we get a bit of a reprieve: a 3ft swell from the WNW (7 sec period) and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW. The energy is weak at 84, so don't expect much power, but it'll be clean. It's surfable, just ordinary. If you're desperate for a paddle, that's your window, but keep the expectations low.
After that, things blow up again on the 9th and 10th with another round of strong wind and big, messy surf. Honestly, for the next two weeks, the forecast is a long, blank run. It's a tough stretch for Back Strands.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun night, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 7 | NNW 7 | W 9 | WSW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 6 | W 6 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 8 | W 10 | W 12 | W 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 11 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 42 | 38 | 60 | 58 | 219 | 305 | 207 | 107 | 55 | 27 | 286 | 848 | 1665 | 2235 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:45AM3.12m | 6:58PM3.64m | 7:16AM3.23m | 7:29PM3.71m | 7:48AM3.29m | 8:00PM3.70m | 8:21AM3.29m | 8:33PM3.60m | 8:55AM3.23m | 9:10PM3.42m | 9:34AM3.12m | 9:51PM3.18m | 10:19AM2.95m | 10:42PM2.89m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:37PM0.29m | 1:09AM0.18m | 1:08PM0.20m | 1:39AM0.11m | 1:40PM0.18m | 2:10AM0.10m | 2:13PM0.22m | 2:42AM0.18m | 2:49PM0.33m | 3:17AM0.33m | 3:29PM0.50m | 3:57AM0.55m | 4:17PM0.73m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:21 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | WSW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | — | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | NW 8 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 11 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 42 | 38 | 50 | 46 | — | 305 | 207 | 107 | 55 | 27 | 3 | — | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | — | N 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | NW 6 | N 6 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 6 | N 7 | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | WNW 6 | W 6 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | S 3 | WSW 8 | W 10 | W 12 | W 13 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 60 | 58 | 219 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 286 | 848 | 1665 | 2235 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 313 | 406 | 416 | 77 | 77 | 33 | 7 | 7 | 127 | 292 | 53 | 27 | 494 | 721 | 117 | 7 | 36 | 27 | 10 | 48 | 22 |
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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