Surf Forecasts:
Back Strands surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, WNW swell with 582 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 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 1PM. 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+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Back Strands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Back Strands over the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to be straight with you – this is a tough run. Mostly, it’s a lot of waiting for a few flickers of something that might be worth paddling out for.
The 16-day window is a real mixed bag. We’re starting with a big gap. There’s nothing worth mentioning from Saturday the 18th right through until early Friday morning the 24th. For a full week, the surf is tiny and the wind is all wrong. It’s a proper blank spell.
Then, finally, on Friday the 24th, we get a pulse of energy. The swell height jumps to 3 ft out of the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds and a moderate wave energy of 137. But the wind is a cross-onshore breeze, and the water is still that weirdly warm 64°F – that’s a massive 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year, which is very unusual. The surf is still poor, just a bit of a lumpy mess. That holds through the weekend and into the next week.
The only real standout in this whole outlook is the morning of Friday the 31st of July. The swell builds to 8 ft out of the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds and a combined wave energy of 998 (strong). That’s a solid size, but it’s over 8 ft, so this is strictly for the experts. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze, which will clean things up nicely. It’s the first time we see a “clean” wave state on the charts. This is the one to circle on your calendar. It’s a long way out, so the forecast is less certain, but if it holds, it’s the best we’ve got.
After that, the swell drops quickly and the wind comes back up, so we’re back to poor conditions through the first couple of days of August.
So, to sum it up: a week of nothing, then a week of poor, choppy surf, with one single morning – Friday the 31st of July – that looks like it could be a proper, clean, expert-only session. Keep your fingers crossed for that one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 43 | 28 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 137 | 143 | 227 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:43PM3.72m | 10:10AM2.95m | 10:28PM3.45m | 10:57AM2.80m | 11:14PM3.14m | 11:47AM2.65m | 00:05AM2.82m | 12:44PM2.54m | 1:06AM2.57m | 1:52PM2.49m | 2:18AM2.43m | 3:06PM2.53m | 3:33AM2.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:00AM0.30m | 3:55PM0.49m | 4:45AM0.52m | 4:43PM0.73m | 5:31AM0.76m | 5:37PM0.97m | 6:24AM0.96m | 6:44PM1.16m | 7:27AM1.11m | 8:06PM1.25m | 8:38AM1.15m | 9:25PM1.21m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — |
 | — | 9:57 | — | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:51 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:47 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | W 9 | NW 6 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 28 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 137 | 143 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 12 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | W 13 | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 12 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | — | — | NW 7 | — | NW 6 | NW 3 | NNW 7 | NW 6 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 43 | — | — | 22 | — | 9 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 8 | — | — | 227 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 399 | 292 | 19 | 323 | 19 | 231 | 1163 | 117 | 250 | 528 | 231 | 316 | 512 | 19 | 127 | 406 | 454 | 504 | 1203 | 127 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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