Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with 160 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period with W 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 (Aug 12) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 12s period. 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 1.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Back Strands.
To be honest, the first week and a half is pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, weak dribble from the 11th of August right through until the 22nd of August. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, with a lot of onshore or cross-shore wind making a mess of things. The water is sitting at 61°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s little comfort. The combined energy is mostly in the double digits, so it’s all very weak.
Now, things start to get proper interesting on Wednesday the 19th of August. That’s when we see a big spike in the charts. The swell jumps to 16ft from the W, with a solid 13-second period and a massive combined energy of 7837. That’s serious, powerful stuff. The wind is onshore from the NW, making it a bit of a beast. This is expert-only territory – for the brave or the crazy. The next few days hang onto some size, with 8ft on the Thursday and 6ft on the Friday, but the wind stays messy.
The real standout, the one to circle on the calendar, is Saturday the 22nd of August. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the W, with a decent 10-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSW. That’s clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy is a solid 469, so there’s plenty of push. The crowds here can sometimes be a factor, but with conditions this good, it’ll be worth the company. The break is a fairly consistent reef, and with the swell direction coming from the West, it’s hitting the optimum direction. Sunday the 23rd also looks clean with a 4ft swell from the NW and light winds, though the size is a bit smaller.
For the rest of the second week, it fades back into small, wind-affected slop. That Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of August are your best bets.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | W 13 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 6 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 9 | 12 | 58 | 33 | 32 | 86 | 100 | 70 | 58 | 38 | 64 | 140 | 133 | 123 | 88 | 48 | 35 | 18 | 155 | 66 | 37 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:41PM3.57m | 6:10AM3.21m | 6:28PM3.84m | 6:55AM3.32m | 7:11PM4.00m | 7:36AM3.37m | 7:52PM4.02m | 8:16AM3.35m | 8:31PM3.91m | 8:54AM3.26m | 9:09PM3.67m | 9:31AM3.13m | 9:47PM3.35m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:16AM0.43m | 11:58PM0.19m | 12:02PM0.22m | 00:44AM-0.01m | 12:45PM0.08m | 1:26AM-0.10m | 1:25PM0.02m | 2:05AM-0.08m | 2:04PM0.06m | 2:43AM0.05m | 2:43PM0.20m | 3:18AM0.25m | 3:22PM0.41m | 3:54AM0.51m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:13 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:04 | — | — | 9:01 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 19 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 8 | 4 | 58 | 33 | 32 | 86 | 100 | 70 | 58 | 38 | — | — | — | — | 88 | 48 | 35 | 11 | 155 | 66 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | NNW 7 | NW 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | NW 7 | N 7 | — | — |
| kJ | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | N 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 18 | 1 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 2 | S 3 | S 2 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | W 4 | WNW 4 | W 6 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | S 3 | — | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 64 | 140 | 133 | 123 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 37 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 53 | 494 | 243 | 127 | 527 | 527 | 27 | 7 | 36 | 53 | 0 | 7 | 251 |
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)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest