Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 5 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, W swell with 299 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (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 1AM. 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 1.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 05) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 5th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, let's talk about the waves at Back Strands for the next couple weeks.
First off, the water is about 61°F, which is 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a little slice of summer in the water for this reef break that picks up west swell pretty consistently.
The start is rough. Saturday afternoon (July 4th) has a messy, cross-onshore wind with waves around 6ft, but the quality is poor. Sunday and Monday are just as ugly with moderate to fresh cross-shore breezes and chop. The combined wave energy is moderate, hitting 450 on Saturday, but the wind just trashes it. Honestly, nothing worth paddling out for until Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning (July 8th) finally gives us a glimmer. It's glassy – dead calm – with a clean 3ft west swell and a 9-second period. Moderate energy at 157. It's surfable, but just ordinary. Thursday morning (July 9th) is also glassy with a smaller 3ft west swell. Still just okay.
There's a long stretch of meh through the first week. From Friday to Sunday (July 10th–12th), the swell drops tiny, down to 2ft. There are some glassy periods, but it's too small to bother with. The energy is weak, mostly under 100. Monday morning (July 13th) bumps back a bit to 3ft west swell with a 10-second period and moderate energy (196). It's clean, but still not great.
Mid-second week gets a little better. Wednesday morning (July 15th) is clean, with a 3ft west-northwest swell, 10-second period, and moderate energy (218), with light offshore winds from the SSE. That's the best of the run so far: clean, some shape, a solid little wave. Thursday morning (July 16th) has a gentle offshore breeze too, with a clean 3ft swell.
The standout show is Saturday morning (July 18th). That's a week and a half out, so don't book your trip yet, but it looks like the winner. You've got a 4ft west swell, 10-second period, moderate energy (302), and light cross-offshore wind from the east. The forecast says “good surf conditions,” the best rating in the whole forecast. Mark that one, but remember it's long-range.
After that, Sunday (July 19th) drops right back to tiny 2ft and weak energy.
So here’s the truth: the first week is mostly a bust. The second week has a few clean mornings, but the morning of Saturday July 18th is the one that could deliver. It's patchy, but there's a glimmer of something fun if you're patient.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 450 | 299 | 220 | 209 | 185 | 157 | 133 | 157 | 140 | 194 | 185 | 157 | 130 | 103 | 99 | 99 | 95 | 49 | 108 | 160 | 157 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 9:35PM3.29m | 9:54AM2.71m | 10:12PM3.22m | 10:37AM2.66m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:47AM0.66m | 3:39PM0.68m | 4:27AM0.69m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 |
 | — | 10:09 | — | — | 10:09 | — | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | 10:05 |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 9 | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 220 | — | — | 157 | 133 | 157 | 140 | 194 | 185 | 157 | 130 | 103 | 99 | 99 | 95 | 49 | 108 | 160 | 157 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — |
| kJ | 450 | 299 | — | 209 | 185 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 283 | 53 | 22 | 267 | 22 | 27 | 53 | 27 | 27 | 281 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 7 | 0 | 80 | 12 | 0 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
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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