Barrtrá
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 322kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 88 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 399kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 102kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 6°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 283, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 488, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 653, fair
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 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.
Barrtrá does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 83, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 3 ft13 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 322kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 88, good | 4 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 399kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 6°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the east, 12 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 9°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 04:02 −1.0 mHigh 10:31 +1.2 mLow 16:58 −1.3 mHigh 23:35 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:30 −0.9 mHigh 11:55 +1.2 mLow 18:22 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:52 +1.2 mLow 06:52 −1.1 mHigh 13:08 +1.4 mLow 19:31 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Barrtrá on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Lahinch Left 1.5 km away
- Lahinch 2.7 km away
- Cream point 7.2 km away
- Aileens 8.9 km away
- Spanish Point 9.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Barrtrá
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (261°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (81°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 58). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Lahinch, 2.2 km away (about 5 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$878 |
| 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$1,310–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
about 5 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Lahinch its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Spanish Point on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Doolin on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 61 places to stay
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 25m
About 15h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 35m by road
By bus: Citylink, Bus Éireann. Time from the published timetables, on a weekday.
Flights ORD → DUB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.