
Surf Forecasts:
Strandhill surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 12s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period, WNW swell with 2,221 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strandhill in the next 16 days are 2.4m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strandhill over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Strandhill for the next couple of weeks. This is a beach and sandbar setup, exposed to the open ocean, so it picks up a lot of what the Atlantic throws at us. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing weird going on there.
We’ve got a bit of a slow start, to be honest. Friday the 11th is mostly a write-off. The morning is cross-on with a weak, short-period 4ft swell – not worth paddlin’ out for. The afternoon cleans up a bit with a cross-off breeze, but the swell’s still only 4ft with a short 9-second period. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about.
Saturday the 12th is a no-go. A bumpy 7ft swell with a messy cross-shore wind and that moderate wave energy (1040) just looks ugly. Sunday morning the 13th is where it gets interesting. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell from the WNW with a longer 11-second period and a light offshore breeze from the SSE. That is a proper window of clean, fun waves for an intermediate surfer. Sunday afternoon gets a bit lumpy again.
Monday and Tuesday (14th and 15th) are pretty quiet, with small, weak swells and onshore winds. Wednesday the 16th sees a jump in size to 6ft, but it’s a messy, blown-out onshore affair – not for paddle surfing, that one looks more like a kite-surfing day if you’re into that.
Now, Thursday the 17th is a bit of a tease. We get a solid 7ft WNW groundswell with a 13-second period (strong wave energy at 1497), but the cross-shore wind is fresh and lumpy. It’s gonna be a bumpy, challenging session, probably just for the locals on bigger boards.
The real standout for this outlook is Friday the 18th. The morning session is your pick. A 6ft WNW groundswell, solid period of 12 seconds, and a clean cross-off breeze from the SSW. Moderat wave energy (833), clean faces, and a break that is fairly consistent. It’s got the right direction for the optimum WNW. The crowds can be *sometimes* busy here, so get in early. That’s the one to circle for the first week.
The following week gets wild, but not necessarily in a good way. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th see massive swell – 13ft to 16ft – with very strong wave energy (over 4966). The wind is okay, but that size is way too big for this beach break. Unless you’re a pro on a gun, give it a miss. It just closes out.
Monday the 21st is also too big at 12ft to 10ft. Tuesday the 22nd settles back down to a clean 5ft with a cross-off wind – another good day for intermediates. Then on the 24th and 25th of September, things get interesting again. Thursday morning the 24th has a clean 8ft WNW swell with 11-second period and light offshore winds. That’s excellent for experienced surfers, but it’s pushing the limits for the average punter. Friday morning the 25th is the absolute gem of the second week: glassy conditions, a 8ft WNW swell, moderate energy (1540), and clean faces. That is a proper early-session call for the experts. Saturday the 26th looks too big again at 13ft.
So the best of the best: Friday morning the 18th for the best all-round fun waves for intermediates, and Friday morning the 25th for the experienced crew looking for a clean, powerful session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri night, calm by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sun night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | W 9 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 9 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
205 | 269 | 823 | 1040 | 879 | 392 | 218 | 169 | 84 | 74 | 84 | 173 | 244 | 332 | 757 | 672 | 386 | 342 | 1497 | 2005 | 1240 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:36AM3.33m | 6:48PM3.89m | 7:12AM3.41m | 7:25PM3.86m | 7:47AM3.42m | 8:00PM3.70m | 8:20AM3.36m | 8:35PM3.47m | 8:53AM3.24m | 9:09PM3.18m | 9:26AM3.07m | 9:44PM2.87m | 10:03AM2.85m | 10:24PM2.56m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:26PM0.07m | 1:01AM-0.13m | 1:03PM0.02m | 1:34AM-0.08m | 1:39PM0.06m | 2:06AM0.06m | 2:15PM0.19m | 2:37AM0.27m | 2:50PM0.40m | 3:08AM0.53m | 3:27PM0.66m | 3:40AM0.81m | 4:07PM0.95m | ||||||||
6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
— | 8:01 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 4 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | NW 12 | NW 11 | — | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | — | — | WNW 13 | WNW 12 |
205 | 269 | 823 | 1040 | 879 | 392 | 218 | 169 | 84 | 74 | 84 | 173 | 5 | 5 | — | 672 | 386 | — | — | 2005 | 1240 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | NW 13 | NW 9 | W 11 | NW 12 | — | — | — | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 92 | 49 | — | 7 | 19 | 39 | 6 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 13 | NW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 4 | — | — | — | — | — | S 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 4 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 12 | — | — | W 9 | WNW 13 | — | — |
— | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 244 | 332 | 757 | — | — | 342 | 1497 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 8 | 0 | 243 | 41 | 148 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 41 | 41 | 516 | 562 | 558 | 1002 | 712 | 164 | 164 | 87 | 23 |
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.










