Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 6 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 231 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 cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 7AM.
| 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.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this is one of those outlooks where the ocean's just takin' a long nap. We're looking at a solid dry spell for the next couple of weeks.
For Back Strands, the water's a balmy 61° – that's a solid 4° warmer than what we'd normally see this time of year, so you can ditch the thickest rubber, but you'll be doing more sunbakin' than surfin'.
Right now, and for the next several days, it's just not happening. We've got a little pulse of swell coming through on Monday the 6th – a 4ft swell from the west with a short, weak 8-second period. The combined energy is only 161 (moderate), but it's ruined by a 12 mph cross-onshore wind from the west. Tuesday the 7th is the same sad story: 4ft of west swell, period stretching to 9 seconds (a bit more grunt), energy bumps up to 210 (moderate), but that cross-shore wind keeps it chopped up. Wednesday the 8th sees the swell drop back to 3ft, but at least the wind goes light. That's not enough to save it though – it's still a poor surf zone.
Honestly, there isn't a single standout in this whole run. The whole first week is a write-off for a paddle. From Thursday the 9th onward, the swell just fades away into a whisper. By Sunday the 12th, we're down to 1ft and it just gets smaller from there, with combined energy dropping below 100 (weak) and eventually into single digits. The wind does go clean and even glassy on a couple of mornings, but you can't surf a lake.
If you're a kiter, the first few days with that 3ft+ swell and the consistent 12 mph wind might look fun – the setup at Back Strands could give you some wind play – but for a surfer? There's nothing to ride. The whole sixteen days is a bust. We don't see anything that even qualifies as 'surfable' until... well, we don't. It’s a long, flat stretch.
Keep your wax fresh. Things have to change eventually. Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mon 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 161 | 196 | 210 | 189 | 189 | 164 | 142 | 136 | 129 | 123 | 91 | 231 | 218 | 166 | 110 | 80 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:53PM3.12m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:20PM0.80m | 5:13AM0.73m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 |
 | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:04 | 10:02 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 22 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 161 | 196 | 210 | 189 | 189 | 164 | 142 | 136 | 129 | 123 | 91 | 231 | 218 | 166 | 110 | 80 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 2 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 23 | 53 | 283 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 10 | 19 | 77 | 17 | 17 | 178 | 17 | 119 | 117 | 46 | 77 |
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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