Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 763 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s 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 Monday (Jul 27) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s 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 2.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for us over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the surf is pretty much a no-go for a long stretch. We're looking at a solid gap of about ten days from the start of this forecast period, where the ocean is just giving us nothing worthwhile. The only spot on the radar is Back Strands, and for the first week and a half, it’s a total write-off. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, the swell is either tiny or just messy, and the combined wave energy is pathetic – we’re talking a weak 18 (units) to a feeble 90 (units) on the best of those bad days. It’s not even worth paddling out for most of July.
The water temp is sitting at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing going for it.
Finally, things start to look up as we head into the first week of August. The standout is shaping up for Sunday, August 2nd.
On the morning of Sunday, August 2nd, Back Strands is looking like the one to circle. We’ve got a solid 7ft swell rolling in from the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a decent groundswell with some real grunt behind it – the combined energy hits a strong 800 (units). The wind is a clean offshore from the S, so the conditions will be clean. This is a reef break, so that long-period swell should wrap in nicely. Just a heads up, at 7ft this is getting into the territory where it’s better for experienced surfers. The crowd situation is listed as "sometimes", so you might have some company, but it shouldn’t be a zoo.
The afternoon of that same day takes a step back, with the swell dropping to 6ft and the wind turning cross-offshore, which will still be rideable but not as pristine.
The following morning, Monday, August 3rd, is a bit of a hangover from the weekend. The swell fades to 3ft, but the wind is a clean offshore from the SSE, so you’ll get some clean, smaller waves for a fun session if you’re just looking to get wet.
For the rest of the second week, it looks like we're back to tiny, weak surf with poor wind, so get your session in on that Sunday if you can.
That’s the long and short of it. Get out there on the 2nd if you can handle a bit of size.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Thu night, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the W by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 12 | 24 | 202 | 171 | 168 | 579 | 625 | 712 | 717 | 678 | 471 | 328 | 216 | 181 | 220 | 270 | 143 | 140 | 140 | 144 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 2:18AM2.43m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:06PM1.25m | 8:38AM1.15m | 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 | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | |  | |  |  | | |  | |
 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — |
 | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:39 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 11 | — | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 12 | 24 | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | 471 | 328 | 216 | 181 | 220 | 270 | 143 | 140 | 140 | 144 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 10 | NW 10 | N 9 | N 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | NW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 9 | 202 | 171 | 168 | 579 | 625 | 712 | 717 | 678 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1203 | 27 | 292 | 1218 | 53 | 1211 | 265 | 127 | 442 | 512 | 53 | 10 | 53 | 0 | 27 | 127 | 0 | 10 | 210 | 10 |
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)
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