Surf Forecasts:
Strandhill surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, W swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, W swell with 4,126 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Strandhill this week:
The surf forecast for Strandhill over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strandhill in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strandhill over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch for surf at Strandhill.
The overall pattern is grim for most of the period, with only a handful of very brief windows where you might get a wave, and even then, it’s nothing to write home about. The first real surfable option doesn’t show up until Sunday the 30th of August, but it’s marginal at best. The following weeks are littered with blown-out, onshore slop or flat spells, with long gaps of nothing recommended.
The first break on offer is Strandhill itself, a sandy beach-and-sandbar setup that’s fully exposed to the swell. The water temp is going to feel about average for the time of year, so you won't be needing a winter suit just yet.
For the first few days, forget it. Friday the 28th of August has some tiny 1.0 ft WNW windswell with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is onshore and it’s just poor. Saturday the 29th is even smaller. The first tiny flicker of hope comes on Sunday morning the 30th of August. A new, weak 1 ft swell from the WSW rolls in with a 10-second period, but the wind is light from the SE – that’s offshore for Strandhill. The combined energy is pitiful at just 33, but the wind is clean. It’s tiny, but glassy. The afternoon gives you a slight bump to 2 ft and a cross-off breeze, making for surfable, but very ordinary conditions. It’s a score of 1 out of 10 stuff, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window.
Then the wind swings onshore and we get a solid stretch of nasty weather. Monday the 31st of August brings moderate cross-onshore winds and lumpy, 3 ft slop. As we move into the first week of September, the swell builds but the wind stays terrible. Tuesday the 1st of September sees 5 ft waves with a fresh cross-onshore wind blowing it all to bits – messy, choppy, and poor. By Wednesday morning the 2nd of September, the wind drops and we get a clean, 2 ft wave, but it has very weak energy (63) and is just ordinary again.
The next decent-sized swell arrives on Thursday the 3rd of September. It’s a 7 ft clean wave in the morning from the W with a 10-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 848 (moderate). But by afternoon the wind cranks up from the WSW, turning it into a lumpy mess. Then on Friday the 4th of September, a big 10 ft swell with a 13-second period (that’s a real groundswell) slams in, but the energy is a massive 2914. The wind is a strong cross-onshore, and the forecast explicitly says the swell is too big for this break. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, with that wind, it’s a washing machine.
The rest of the first half of September is a write-off. Strong winds, lumpy seas, and cross-shore chop dominate. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday the 8th of September with a small, clean 3 ft wave in the morning, but it’s very weak (energy of 84). The next day, the 9th, we get 28 mph cross-shore winds with a 10 ft swell that’s just blown out and dangerous. By the 10th we’re looking at an 12 ft, 12-second groundswell with near gale force winds, all poor conditions. The final days of the forecast are more of the same – small, weak, and onshore.
If you must surf, your only real options are the clean but very tiny windows on the morning of Sunday the 30th of August, or the clean but weak morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. The 10 ft swell on the 4th is too big and windy. Honestly, for a beach break like this with no shelter from the prevailing wind, this whole 16-day run looks a lot more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 7 | NNW 7 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 6 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | W 11 | W 13 | W 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 61 | 56 | 226 | 132 | 217 | 217 | 137 | 111 | 52 | 211 | 276 | 815 | 2993 | 3890 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:58PM3.60m | 7:16AM3.19m | 7:29PM3.67m | 7:48AM3.25m | 8:00PM3.66m | 8:21AM3.25m | 8:34PM3.56m | 8:56AM3.20m | 9:10PM3.40m | 9:34AM3.10m | 9:51PM3.16m | 10:19AM2.94m | 10:43PM2.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:38PM0.28m | 1:10AM0.17m | 1:08PM0.19m | 1:39AM0.09m | 1:40PM0.17m | 2:10AM0.09m | 2:13PM0.21m | 2:42AM0.17m | 2:49PM0.33m | 3:17AM0.33m | 3:29PM0.51m | 3:57AM0.55m | 4:18PM0.74m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
— | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NW 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | NNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 | — | — |
11 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 61 | 56 | — | — | — | 217 | 137 | 111 | 52 | 8 | 3 | 4 | — | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | — | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 7 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 10 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
1 | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 6 | — | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | W 7 | W 6 | W 8 | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | W 11 | W 13 | W 13 |
— | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 226 | 132 | 217 | — | — | 4 | 31 | 211 | 276 | 815 | 2993 | 3890 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 293 | 423 | 148 | 99 | 252 | 159 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 523 | 243 | 0 | 8 | 712 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 261 | 0 | 722 | 243 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sligo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Strandhill Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Strandhill provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Strandhill can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Strandhill 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 (Strandhill) 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 Strandhill 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 Strandhill, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Sligo, consider staying in Sligo which is 9 km (6 miles) away. Other places in and around Sligo where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Ballina which is 40 km (25 miles) away, Killybegs, Enniskillen and Claremorris.











