St. Finnians Bay
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
54Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 275kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 388kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 122kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 262, good
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 481, good
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 744, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 918, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 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.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 673kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 4 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 81, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 388kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 122kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 18, poor | 5 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 364kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 642kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 02:21 −1.0 mHigh 08:48 +1.1 mLow 15:06 −1.1 mHigh 21:39 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:37 −0.8 mHigh 10:04 +1.0 mLow 16:28 −1.1 mHigh 23:01 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:04 −0.8 mHigh 11:24 +1.0 mLow 17:51 −1.1 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
St. Finnians Bay 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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Photos of St. Finnians Bay
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More surf near here
4 places
- St.Finnnians bay 3.3 km away
- The old Hatchery 11.3 km away
- Baslicon 11.7 km away
- Ardkeragh 12 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About St. Finnians Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (223°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (43°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 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 10°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 Portmagee, 4.9 km away (about 10 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$1,300–US$2,390 each
about US$1,300–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 KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$415–US$858 |
| 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$1,300–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: 2 towns
9 min by car · 8 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Portmagee its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Waterville on Booking.com
20 min by car · 21 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 16h 55m
About 16h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 30m by road
Flights ORD → KIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.