Ballybunion
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 241kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 250kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ESE 15 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 257, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 485, good
- Thu 548, fair
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 730, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 1044, too small
- Wed 1127, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 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.
Ballybunion 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 | 57, fair | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 87kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 85, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 250kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 13°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 NovLow 03:55 −1.0 mHigh 10:23 +1.2 mLow 16:49 −1.3 mHigh 23:26 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:22 −0.9 mHigh 11:47 +1.2 mLow 18:12 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:42 +1.2 mLow 06:43 −1.1 mHigh 13:00 +1.4 mLow 19:21 −1.5 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
Ballybunion 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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Photos of Ballybunion
More surf near here
2 places
- Beale 8.6 km away
- ballyheigue ireland southwest 17.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ballybunion
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (268°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (88°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 9°C in February, 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 Ballybunion, 0.1 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$1,300–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 2 November 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$416–US$859 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$289–US$483 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| 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: Ballybunion
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Ballybunion 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 10m by road
By bus: TFI Local Link Kerry, Bus Éireann. Time from the published timetables, on a weekday.
Flights ORD → KIR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.