Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 205 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period. 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 1.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
Alright, let’s go imperial now. Same deal – Back Strands, a reef that usually delivers, but the 16-day forecast is a bummer. No solid surf in sight. The water’s at 61°F, which is about 4°F warmer than normal – that’s notable, but doesn’t fix the wave situation.
Let’s run through it. Tuesday 7 July morning: clear, WSW wind 12 mph, cross-onshore, a 4ft west swell at 9 seconds, combined energy 210 – decent energy but the wind chops it up. Score 0. Afternoon similar.
Wednesday 8 July morning: a little better – clouds, light cross-offshore from the SSW at 3 mph, swell 3ft west, 9 seconds, energy 168. The report says “surfable but very ordinary” – score 1. That’s as good as it gets early on. Afternoon back to onshore and poor.
Thursday 9 July morning: cross-offshore south wind at 6 mph, same swell 3ft, 9 seconds, energy 164 – again surfable but ordinary. Score 1.
From Friday 10 July onward, it’s all poor – onshore winds, small swell (3ft down to 0.3ft), weak energy. Friday morning has a 3ft west swell at 11 seconds, but NW wind at 6 mph onshore, so messy. Energy 184 – moderate but wasted.
The weekend and the following week are tiny: 2ft dropping to 0.3ft, energy mostly under 100. The only half-decent moment later is Wednesday 22 July morning: cross-offshore SSW wind at 9 mph, west swell 2ft at 8 seconds, energy 87 – again “surfable but very ordinary”, score 1.
So really, there’s nothing to recommend. The few cleaner sessions are still only mediocre. No standout days. This kind of blank run can happen – forecasts might shift, but as it stands, no reason to pull the trigger.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 21 | WNW 7 | W 13 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 210 | 225 | 189 | 168 | 142 | 136 | 164 | 126 | 73 | 184 | 200 | 166 | 82 | 80 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 85 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:28AM2.61m | 11:42PM3.01m | 12:27PM2.59m | 00:41AM2.92m | 1:34PM2.63m | 1:52AM2.87m | 2:45PM2.75m | 3:06AM2.90m | 3:52PM2.96m | 4:17AM3.01m | 4:53PM3.22m | 5:20AM3.15m | 5:48PM3.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:10PM0.93m | 6:06AM0.77m | 6:13PM1.03m | 7:10AM0.79m | 7:30PM1.04m | 8:20AM0.76m | 8:50PM0.94m | 9:28AM0.66m | 10:02PM0.72m | 10:29AM0.52m | 11:05PM0.47m | 11:23AM0.36m | 00:01AM0.23m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:04 | — | — | 10:02 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 11 |
| kJ | 210 | 225 | 189 | 168 | 142 | 136 | 164 | 126 | 73 | 184 | 200 | 166 | 82 | 80 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 85 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | W 11 | W 13 | W 19 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | 13 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 10 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 2 | — | — | — | — | — | E 2 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 283 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 19 | 178 | 21 | 17 | 178 | 7 | 32 | 46 | 316 | 292 | 17 | 17 |
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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