Surf Forecasts:
Strandhill surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period, WNW swell with 308 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with WNW 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strandhill in the next 16 days are 1.2m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strandhill over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Strandhill over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the next few days are a right-off. We’ve got a real flat spell on our hands. From Thursday the 20th right through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s just tiny, messy, cross-on junk. Winds are howling out of the north, keeping things choppy and lumpy, and swell heights are barely ticking over 1 ft to 3 ft. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 62°, which is a nice detail, but it's not enough to get you in the water. Even the glassy moments on Sunday morning and afternoon with barely a ripple are on swells so small (0.7 ft to 1.0 ft) there’s nothing to ride.
Okay, now we’re talking. The first real glimmer of hope comes on Monday, the 24th of August. We get a shift in the wind to a gentle offshore from the southeast, and that’s going to clean things right up. The swell bumps up to 4 ft out of the WNW with a period of 11 seconds—that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy reads 308 (moderate), and with those offshore winds, you’re looking at clean, lined-up waves. Monday afternoon holds at 3 ft. This is your standout window for the whole forecast. The break is a beach/sandbar set-up, so that long period might make it a bit straight, but with the wind on it, I’d be out there.
After Monday, things get a bit ordinary again. Tuesday the 25th sees the swell drop right back to 2 ft, and the wind goes cross-off from the ESE, so it’s clean but tiny. Wednesday and Thursday are similar—clean but small, with the odd window of glassy conditions on Thursday morning the 27th, but the swell is only 2 ft. It’s better than the first few days, but nothing to get excited about.
Then we get a bit of a pulse late in the run. The end of August and start of September sees some bigger, more powerful swell, but the wind is all wrong. From the 28th onwards, we’ve got onshore and cross-on winds from the WNW and NW, ruining the shape. The swell gets serious—on the 29th of August, we’re looking at 5 ft and the combined energy hits 413 (strong), and by the 4th of September, it’s pushing 7 ft with a 12-second period and a massive energy reading of 1357. That’s a lot of power, but it’s all blown out. The wind is howling onshore at 12-15 mph, making it a choppy, lumpy mess. That’s more of a kite-surfing scenario than a paddle-surfing one, to be honest.
To sum it up: the first few days are a total dud, then Monday the 24th of August is your absolute best bet with clean 4 ft groundswell and glassy offshore winds. After that, it’s mostly small or messy, with a big, powerful swell at the end that’s unfortunately blown out. If you only get one session, make it that Monday.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Thu afternoon, calm by Sat night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | NW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
90 | 120 | 88 | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 95 | 308 | 200 | 154 | 58 | 41 | 14 | 19 | 43 | 48 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 00:09AM2.39m | 12:53PM2.42m | 1:34AM2.24m | 2:28PM2.41m | 3:12AM2.26m | 3:50PM2.57m | 4:19AM2.42m | 4:44PM2.80m | 5:04AM2.60m | 5:23PM3.05m | 5:41AM2.78m | 5:57PM3.28m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:47PM1.22m | 6:15AM1.28m | 7:19PM1.39m | 7:51AM1.38m | 9:06PM1.36m | 9:21AM1.28m | 10:16PM1.18m | 10:19AM1.08m | 11:01PM0.95m | 11:00AM0.84m | 11:38PM0.72m | 11:35AM0.61m | 00:10AM0.50m | |||||||
— | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:40 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Temp °C | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | — | — | W 8 | WNW 7 | NW 5 | W 9 | WNW 6 | W 9 | NW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 |
90 | — | — | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 95 | 308 | 200 | 154 | 58 | 41 | 14 | 12 | 43 | 48 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | W 10 | — | WNW 13 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | W 10 | WSW 3 | W 4 |
— | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 2 | — | 18 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 8 | NW 7 | — | W 9 | NW 6 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 11 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 5 | — | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 2 | ESE 3 | ESE 2 | E 2 | S 2 | — | — |
31 | 120 | 88 | 38 | 13 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 708 | 157 | 293 | 293 | 100 | 50 | 298 | 254 | 102 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 162 | 136 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
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.











