Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, WNW swell with 821 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Jul 28) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. 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 2.1m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it.
First up, I’ll be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window that starts with a real blank run. The forecast for Back Strands is pretty grim for the first bunch of days, with no real surfable options on the table until we get into the following week. The early part of the period is dominated by onshore winds and messy, choppy conditions, so you’re not missing much.
The first real sniff of anything half-decent shows up on the morning of Monday, 27 July. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the WNW with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the south. That should clean things up nicely. The combined energy of all swells is moderate at 386. It’s described as marginal surf, but it’s the best we’ve seen. Water temperature is a touch warmer than normal at 62°, which is a bit of a bonus.
The standout session, and honestly the only one that gets the blood pumping a little, is the morning of Wednesday, 29 July. Swell drops to 3ft from the west, period at 8 seconds, but the wind is a gentle cross-offshore from the SSW. The combined energy is weak at 85. The surf report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s not pumping, but for this stretch, it’s the pick of the litter. Clean, tiny, and rideable.
After that, the surf drops right off into flatness. From the 30th of July right through to the 2nd of August, we’re looking at tiny, weak, and mostly messy conditions. The 2nd of August morning sees a pulse of 5ft from the WNW, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy and poor. That one’s a write-off.
The long-range stuff? There’s a flicker on the 4th of August morning with a tiny 1ft swell from the west, but the period is a long 14 seconds. The wind is light and offshore, so it’d be clean, but there’s almost no energy (combined energy of 74). Not really worth the paddle. The rest of the second week fades into nothingness.
So, if you’re desperate, the Wednesday morning of the 29th July is your best bet. Otherwise, it’s a long, quiet spell. The surf gods are taking a break.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 202 | 171 | 190 | 586 | 676 | 726 | 821 | 817 | 540 | 386 | 349 | 225 | 173 | 214 | 204 | 84 | 61 | 57 | 55 | 41 | 27 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:06PM2.53m | 3:33AM2.43m | 4:11PM2.65m | 4:34AM2.52m | 5:02PM2.83m | 5:21AM2.66m | 5:44PM3.03m | 6:01AM2.79m | 6:22PM3.22m | 6:36AM2.90m | 6:56PM3.38m | 7:10AM2.98m | 7:29PM3.51m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:25PM1.21m | 9:43AM1.09m | 10:27PM1.08m | 10:36AM0.96m | 11:14PM0.92m | 11:19AM0.79m | 11:55PM0.76m | 11:56AM0.63m | 00:32AM0.61m | 12:30PM0.48m | 1:06AM0.49m | 1:03PM0.38m | 1:38AM0.40m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:39 | — | — | 9:37 |
mm | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 676 | — | — | — | — | 386 | 349 | 225 | 173 | 214 | 204 | 84 | 61 | 57 | 55 | 41 | 27 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 10 | NW 9 | NW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 202 | 171 | 190 | 586 | — | 726 | 821 | 817 | 540 | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1272 | 1218 | 22 | 265 | 265 | 145 | 422 | 396 | 104 | 10 | 53 | 27 | 114 | 53 | 27 | 0 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 7 |
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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