Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, NW swell with 44 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Back Strands this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Back Strands in the next 16 days are 0.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break this down. The forecast for Back Strands is a long, flat, and frustrating stretch. We’re looking at July 14 right through to the morning of July 28 with nothing worth paddling out for – that’s two full weeks of poor surf. The water is sitting at about 62°F, a solid 4° warmer than usual for mid-July, which is a bit of a treat if you’re just floating around, but the waves just aren’t there.
The first sign of life shows up on the afternoon of July 28. Tuesday. We get a tiny 2ft swell from the west-northwest, period a short 8 seconds – so it’s a weak, wobbly little thing. But the wind goes glassy, with just a slight air from the north-northeast. That means clean, smooth water. It’s surfable, but honestly, it’s very ordinary – more of a longboard cruise than any real juice. Combined wave energy is only 88, so don’t expect much push. Still, if you’re desperate, that afternoon is your only window.
Before that, there’s a tease in the last week of July. On the morning of July 25, the swell jumps to 6ft at 12 seconds, and energy hits 1116 – that’s proper groundswell. Problem is, the wind is cross-onshore from the north at 25 km/h (15 mph), making it choppy and messy. The same story continues into July 26 and 27: decent-sized W swell (5ft, 5ft, 4ft) but onshore or cross-onshore winds ruin it. That kind of setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly. Too blown out for a clean session.
So to sum it up: you’ve got a long gap of nothing, then a brief, weak, glassy afternoon on July 28. After that, July 29 looks like a step back into poor conditions with light rain and cross-shore wind. Not much to get excited about, but sometimes that’s how it goes here. Keep an eye on the forecasts – they can change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 36 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 44 | 28 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 37 | 32 | 30 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:39PM3.74m | 7:07AM3.31m | 7:27PM3.91m | 7:54AM3.29m | 8:14PM3.97m | 8:40AM3.22m | 8:59PM3.91m | 9:25AM3.10m | 9:43PM3.72m | 10:10AM2.95m | 10:28PM3.45m | 10:57AM2.80m | 11:14PM3.14m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:13PM0.21m | 00:53AM0.06m | 12:59PM0.12m | 1:43AM-0.02m | 1:43PM0.09m | 2:30AM0.00m | 2:27PM0.15m | 3:15AM0.12m | 3:10PM0.28m | 4:00AM0.30m | 3:55PM0.49m | 4:45AM0.52m | 4:43PM0.73m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:01 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 9:59 | — | — | 9:58 | — | — | 9:57 | — | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 20 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | W 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 36 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 4 | 28 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 37 | 32 | 30 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 18 | — | W 11 | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 11 | WNW 10 | — | — | W 8 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | NNW 6 | — | NNW 4 |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 8 | 2 | 10 | — | — | 5 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 3 | — | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 | — | W 12 | W 8 | — | — | NW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 5 | — | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 3 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NW 7 | — | — | NNW 2 | — | — | NW 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 44 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 32 | 77 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 197 | 746 | 117 | 292 | 1188 | 422 | 19 | 403 | 117 | 276 | 178 | 77 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest