Portballintrae
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (3 ft swell at 11 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 442, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 923, too small
- Tue 1060, good
- Wed 1133, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best in Jan1 good days in 7
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 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the south, 3 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 228kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 9°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 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 NovHigh 01:06 +0.1 mLow 06:04 −0.3 mHigh 13:22 +0.5 mLow 20:39 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:34 +0.1 mLow 07:42 −0.3 mHigh 14:36 +0.6 mLow 21:41 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:34 +0.2 mLow 08:57 −0.4 mHigh 15:35 +0.7 mLow 22:27 −0.6 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
best in Jan
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Portballintrae 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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More surf near here
5 places
- East Strand 5.6 km away
- White Rocks 5.6 km away
- Portrush 7 km away
- West Strand 7.3 km away
- Finn's Left 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Portballintrae
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (332°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (152°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 8°C in March, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Portballintrae, 0 km away (1 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$1,290–US$2,400 each
about US$1,290–US$2,400 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 2 November 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$423–US$879 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,400 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
1 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Portballintrae its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bushmills on Booking.com
4 min by car · 21 places to stay
- Beds in Portrush on Booking.com
12 min by car · 87 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 15h 35m
About 15h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 45m by road
Flights ORD → DUB on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.