Portballintrae
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 672kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 255, fair
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 434, too small
- Thu 524, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
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.
Portballintrae 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 | 55, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft14 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 672kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 760kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 10°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 beginners: 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 (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$1,290–US$2,390 each
about US$1,290–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 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$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
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
3 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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.