Staying Home Sucks, home
Cliffs of Moher
Near Aileens. Photo: PAUL FARMER, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Aileens

Surf spot · Ireland

Is it worth the trip?

70Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 83 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 shollow
Energy
171kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 52 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 shollow
Energy
217kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
10°C

Wed 4 · 92 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
353kJ
Wind
ENE 9 kn
Temp
12°C

Thu 5 · 70 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
148kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
11°C

Fri 6 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
96kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
11°C

Sat 7 · 53 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
104kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 50 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 shollow
Energy
84kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
7°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 115, poor
  2. Mon 283, good
  3. Tue 352, fair
  4. Wed 492, good
  5. Thu 570, good
  6. Fri 655, fair
  7. Sat 753, fair
  8. Sun 850, fair
  9. Mon 923, poor
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Aileens does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Aileens, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov15, poor5 ft9 shollow7 ft at break (est.)399kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots12°C
Mon 2Nov83, good4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.)171kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 3Nov52, fair3 ft14 shollow5 ft at break (est.)217kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore10°C
Wed 4Nov92, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)353kJwind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore12°C
Thu 5Nov70, good3 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.)148kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore11°C
Fri 6Nov55, fair3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore11°C
Sat 7Nov53, fair3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)104kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots10°C
Sun 8Nov50, fair3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore7°C
Mon 9Nov23, poor5 ft8 shollow7 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore10°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)492kJwind from the north-north-west, 16 knots11°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovLow 02:48 −1.2 mHigh 09:14 +1.4 mLow 15:37 −1.4 mHigh 22:11 +1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 04:03 −1.0 mHigh 10:33 +1.3 mLow 17:00 −1.3 mHigh 23:37 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 05:32 −0.9 mHigh 11:57 +1.3 mLow 18:24 −1.4 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Aileens

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (279°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (99°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Doolin, 5.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,310–US$2,410 each

about US$1,310–US$2,410 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$878
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$288–US$482
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$127–US$208
Totalabout US$1,310–US$2,410

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Doolin

10 min by car · 61 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 61 places to stay in Doolin · Booking.com

About Doolin its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 15h 50m

About 15h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 4h by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.