Ballybunion
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 199kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 218kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Mon 9 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 481, good
- Thu 547, fair
- Fri 631, too small
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 106, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 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.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 2 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 81, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 218kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 14 knots | 11°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:55 −1.0 mHigh 10:23 +1.2 mLow 16:49 −1.3 mHigh 23:26 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:22 −0.9 mHigh 11:47 +1.2 mLow 18:12 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:42 +1.2 mLow 06:43 −1.1 mHigh 13:00 +1.4 mLow 19:21 −1.5 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, its town, photos
Ballybunion on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Ballybunion
More surf near here
2 places
- Beale 8.6 km away
- ballyheigue ireland southwest 17.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ballybunion
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (268°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (88°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 9°C in February, 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 Ballybunion, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car).
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$1,300–US$2,390 each
about US$1,300–US$2,390 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$415–US$858 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$288–US$482 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$127–US$208 |
| Total | about US$1,300–US$2,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Ballybunion
about 5 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Ballybunion 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 16h 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 10m by road
By bus: TFI Local Link Kerry, Bus Éireann. Time from the published timetables, on a weekday.
Flights ORD → KIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.