
Surf Forecasts:
Strandhill surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, WNW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, W swell with 4,713 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m 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 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strandhill over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s take a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.
First off, the water temperature is running pretty much where you’d expect for this time of year, nothing wild there. The swell energy is starting off light but there’s some punchy stuff lurking further out, though it’s going to take a while before things actually clean up for us.
The real standout session is Sunday morning, the 13th of September. We’ve got a clean 4ft groundswell rolling in from the WNW with a period of 11 seconds, and combined energy is moderate at 279. The wind is light and off from the SSE, so expect good surf conditions at Strandhill. That’s the pick of the whole forecast window right there.
Sunday afternoon drops off a bit – the swell backs down to 3ft and the wind picks up to 9 mph from the S, making things cross-off. It’s still surfable, but it’s ordinary compared to the morning.
Monday the 14th is a write-off. We’ve got tiny, weak swell down at 1ft and onshore breezes kicking up. Poor conditions all day. Tuesday the 15th is no better – strong cross-onshore winds and rain showers make for messy, choppy surf.
Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th stay poor. The swell actually jumps up – Thursday afternoon sees a big 10ft WNW swell with a period of 16 seconds and very strong combined energy of 4026 – but with a fresh cross-onshore wind and lumpy conditions, it’s a mess. That kind of long-period groundswell needs a point or reef to handle it, not a beach setup getting hammered by the wind.
Friday the 18th is a step towards something better. The swell is still solid – 8ft from the W in the morning, period of 13 seconds, combined energy at 2288 – and the wind is cross-off from the SSW, so the surf is clean. It’s still a marginal call with tide issues, but it’s the first real hope after the mid-week beating.
Saturday the 19th is blown out again. Strong cross-onshore winds and rain, swell hitting 12ft. That’s too big for most and the wind ruins it.
Now, Sunday the 20th – this is a tricky one. The swell is pumping at 10ft from the WNW with a 14-second period, combined energy very strong at 3380, and the wind is cross-off from the S. The forecast even says wind and tide are favorable. But here’s the thing – at over 8ft, that’s expert territory, especially at a beach setup like Strandhill. Beginners should stay well clear.
Monday the 21st through Wednesday the 23rd stays rough. Strong onshore winds, messy conditions, and swell staying well over 7ft. Not the kind of week you want to paddle out.
Thursday the 24th has another huge pulse – 12ft to 13ft WNW swell with periods up to 14 seconds and combined energy over 5000. Wind and tide are favorable again, but it’s just too big. Experts only, and even then it’s going to be a beast.
After that, the surf slowly winds down through the end of the month. Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th are still blown out with onshore winds. By Sunday the 27th we’re down to 7ft with moderate wind, but it’s still onshore, so conditions are marginal.
The final highlight in this stretch is Monday morning, the 28th of September. The swell drops right off to just 2ft from the W, period of 9 seconds, combined energy a weak 92. But the wind goes glassy – a 3 mph SSW breeze, clean as a mirror. You’ll be scratching for a wave, but if you want a peaceful paddle with no crowds, that’s your morning.
So to sum it up: Sunday the 13th morning is the only true standout. After that, it’s a long stretch of messy or oversized conditions until the very end. We get a couple of clean but marginal windows, and a glassy but tiny finish.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | W 13 | WNW 13 | W 11 | W 11 | W 13 | W 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
260 | 137 | 71 | 28 | 151 | 301 | 153 | 435 | 1259 | 647 | 386 | 398 | 694 | 4026 | 3680 | 2288 | 1521 | 1673 | 2904 | 4142 | 4310 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 10:49AM2.62m | 11:18PM2.29m | 12:00PM2.43m | 00:50AM2.12m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 4:17AM1.09m | 5:00PM1.24m | 5:11AM1.33m | 6:33PM1.44m | ||||||||
7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | |
— | 7:57 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 11 | NW 12 | W 10 | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | W 13 | WNW 13 | — | — | — | W 14 |
260 | 137 | 71 | 23 | 151 | 6 | 153 | — | — | 647 | 386 | — | — | — | — | 2288 | 1521 | — | — | — | 4310 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | W 10 | WSW 9 | WNW 8 | NW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
19 | 49 | 27 | 28 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 2 | SSW 3 | S 3 | W 10 | WNW 5 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | — | SSW 4 | W 11 | W 11 | W 13 | — |
— | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 301 | 37 | 435 | 1259 | — | — | 398 | 694 | 4026 | 3680 | — | 38 | 1673 | 2904 | 4142 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 41 | 816 | 712 | 558 | 265 | 41 | 162 | 469 | 515 | 391 | 520 | 243 | 574 | 708 | 709 | 681 |
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.










