Staying Home Sucks, home
Strandhill Beach
Near Bay Break, 1 km away. Photo: Rossographer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bay Break

Surf spot · Ireland

Is it worth the trip?

49Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
102kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
11°C

Tue 3 · 14 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 shollow
Energy
34kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
10°C

Wed 4 · 51 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
106kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 40 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
60kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
11°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
35kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 68 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
10°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 149, fair
  2. Mon 264, good
  3. Tue 314, too small
  4. Wed 451, fair
  5. Thu 540, too small
  6. Fri 631, too small
  7. Sat 723, too small
  8. Sun 868, good
  9. Mon 90, too big
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind 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.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bay Break, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov49, fair4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)212kJwind from the north, 10 knots11°C
Mon 2Nov64, good3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)102kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore11°C
Tue 3Nov14, too small1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore10°C
Wed 4Nov51, fair2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)106kJwind from the east, 7 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 5Nov40, too small2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore11°C
Fri 6Nov31, too small2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore10°C
Sat 7Nov23, too small2 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots10°C
Sun 8Nov68, good3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the south, 8 knots10°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big6 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)554kJwind from the south, 11 knots10°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)539kJwind from the west, 10 knots10°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 03:18 −1.1 mHigh 09:52 +1.4 mLow 16:25 −1.1 mHigh 22:42 +0.7 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 04:30 −0.9 mHigh 11:11 +1.2 mLow 17:53 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:13 +0.6 mLow 05:56 −0.8 mHigh 12:34 +1.3 mLow 19:17 −1.2 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

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.

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.

Photos of Bay Break

Strandhill - 1
Near Bay Break, 1 km away. Photo: Stéphane Gallay from Laconnex, Switzerland, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bay Break

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

The spot faces NW (297°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (117°). 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 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 January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sligo, 8.9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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

Strandhill

2 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Strandhill · Booking.com

About Strandhill 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 15m

About 15h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 25m by road

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