White Bay
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 5 s), onshore wind, 13 kn (25 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- ENE 13 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 17, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 91, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
White Bay does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 20 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 12°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 03:10 −1.3 mHigh 09:21 +1.4 mLow 15:53 −1.2 mHigh 21:52 +1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:22 −1.1 mHigh 10:30 +1.2 mLow 17:14 −1.0 mHigh 23:05 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:46 −1.1 mHigh 11:48 +1.1 mLow 18:35 −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
White 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 White Bay
More surf near here
2 places
- Fennels Bay Reef 3 km away
- Fennels Bay 3.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About White Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (210°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (30°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cobh, 5.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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
| 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$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$1,310–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: 2 towns
10 min by car · 17 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Cobh its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cloyne on Booking.com
19 min by car · 1 place 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
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 4h 10m by road
Flights ORD → DUB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.