Staying Home Sucks, home
Portstewart Strand
Portstewart. Photo: Carroll Pierce, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Portstewart

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

12Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: too small (2 ft swell at 8 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
10°C

Wed 4 · 15 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
36kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
10°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 ssoft
Energy
23kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
SE 2 kn
Temp
9°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
6kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
7°C

Mon 9 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
30kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
7°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, too small
  2. Tue 34, too small
  3. Wed 415, too small
  4. Thu 511, too small
  5. Fri 610, too small
  6. Sat 79, too small
  7. Sun 87, too small
  8. Mon 916, too small
  9. Tue 1021, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 5–18 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Portstewart, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, too small2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot, offshore11°C
Tue 3Nov4, too small1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east, 1 knot10°C
Wed 4Nov15, too small1 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore10°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the east, 5 knots10°C
Fri 6Nov10, too small1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore10°C
Sat 7Nov9, too small1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore9°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots7°C
Mon 9Nov16, too small2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore7°C
Tue 10Nov21, too small2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)57kJwind from the east, 5 knots9°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 00:22 +0.1 mLow 05:40 −0.4 mHigh 12:54 +0.6 mLow 19:42 −0.5 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 01:59 +0.2 mLow 07:12 −0.4 mHigh 14:15 +0.7 mLow 21:00 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:07 +0.3 mLow 08:31 −0.5 mHigh 15:18 +0.8 mLow 21:54 −0.7 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 and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Portstewart

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

The spot faces NW (333°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (153°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 77). 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 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Portstewart, 1.4 km away (about 5 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$1,290–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 
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$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$281–US$469
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$228
Totalabout 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

Closest

Portstewart

about 5 min by car · 36 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 36 places to stay in Portstewart · Booking.com

About Portstewart 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 30m

About 15h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 40m by road

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