Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, W swell with 227 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's chew over what's ahead for the next couple weeks at Back Strands.
Honestly, it's a grim picture for the most part. From Wednesday the 8th all the way through the weekend of the 19th, we're staring down a long run of tiny, weak surf. Swell sizes are stuck at 1 to 2 feet for days, and even when it bumps up to around 3 feet, the wind just ruins it. The combined swell energy is pitiful, often reading in the teens and twenties – barely a ripple. For this kind of weak, short-period slop with onshore and cross-onshore winds, this setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
There is one small window early on. Wednesday morning, July 8th, we get a 3-foot west swell with a 9-second interval and energy at 168. The wind is glassy from the SW at just 3 mph. It’s clean, but it's just "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." Thursday the 9th has a similar story in the afternoon – glassy conditions on a 3-foot west swell, 9-second period, energy at 126. Again, just ordinary.
But listen, there's one moment that stands out. Friday morning, July 10th. The swell is 3 feet from the west, but the period stretches to 11 seconds, and the energy jumps to 227 – that's moderate wave energy! It's a proper little groundswell pulse. And the wind? Glassy from the NW at just 3 mph. For Back Strands, a reef break that loves west swell, this is the standout. With that 3-foot west swell, 11-second period, and glassy conditions, the waves will have some proper shape and push. It's a reef, so that longer period will wrap in nicely. It can get crowded here sometimes, so be there early. This Friday morning is hands-down the best we're gonna see.
After that, it goes dead. The swell disappears, and we see nothing worthwhile until Tuesday, July 21st. Even then, the swell comes back at 4 to 4 feet from the WNW, but the wind is a nasty cross-onshore at 15 mph, turning it into a choppy mess. The forecast for the 21st and 22nd shows moderate energy (243 to 221), but it's all blown out. Not worth the paddle.
So, don't get your hopes up for most of this. If you're desperate, the glassy windows on the 8th and 9th are okay. But the real call is Friday morning, July 10th. That's the one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 21 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 168 | 142 | 136 | 133 | 126 | 95 | 227 | 163 | 154 | 113 | 82 | 59 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 59 | 48 | 28 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 6:16AM3.26m | 6:39PM3.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 12:13PM0.21m | 00:53AM0.06m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:04 | — | — | 10:02 | — | — | 10:01 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 19 |
Feels °C | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 |
| kJ | 168 | 142 | 136 | 133 | 126 | 95 | 227 | 163 | 154 | 113 | 82 | 59 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 59 | 48 | 28 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | W 15 | W 13 | W 7 | — | W 18 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | 6 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | WNW 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 178 | 17 | 17 | 178 | 12 | 32 | 46 | 316 | 272 | 117 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 32 |
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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