Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 7 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 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 10PM.
| 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, let’s get real about Back Strands. This stretch has got the right exposure and the best swell direction, but man, we are looking at a flat spell ahead. For a reef break that can be fairly consistent, it’s going to be a long wait.
Straight up, for the next 16 days, there is no good surf to get excited about. The first week has small, weak energy, and the second week drops off to almost nothing. You’re looking at around 18 days from July 7th to July 22nd with zero standout sessions, and the biggest gap where there’s nothing worth paddling out for.
The only faint pulse happens around the morning of Wednesday, July 8th. We get a small 3ft swell from the west, with a 9-second period, pushing weak energy (168). Clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s tiny and ordinary, but it’s the best of the lot. Expect maybe a small waist-high wave. The next little window pops up on July 10th with a 3ft west swell, but the period stretches to 11 seconds, which could make it a bit weird for a reef break like this – longer gaps between sets, but the energy picks up slightly (231). The crowd factor is listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company for a small wave.
For Thursday morning, July 16th, we see just 0.7ft and glassy conditions. The combined energy is down to 5, which is about as weak as it gets. It’s pretty much flat.
Through the second week, the swell is tiny – 1.0ft or less, with light offshore or glassy winds. You get clean conditions but no rideable waves. It’s the kind of stretch where you leave the board in the car.
So, the honest call for Back Strands is a tough one: a long, quiet period with only very small, forgettable waves. There’s nothing here that’s worth chasing. The water temperature and anomaly data isn’t provided, so it’s just average for the time of year.
It’s a bust, folks.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, 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 | WNW 7 | W 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 210 | 189 | 189 | 168 | 142 | 136 | 162 | 123 | 73 | 231 | 208 | 154 | 82 | 61 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 25 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | on | 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 | 5:13AM0.73m | 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 | 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 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 18 |
Feels °C | 16 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 15 |
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 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 210 | 189 | 189 | 168 | 142 | 136 | 162 | 123 | 73 | 231 | 208 | 154 | 82 | 61 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 16 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 6 | W 15 | W 13 | W 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | — | W 10 | W 19 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | 2 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 203 | 203 | 15 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 17 | 19 | 178 | 21 | 117 | 178 | 7 | 117 | 117 | 121 | 292 | 278 | 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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