Ballycastle Beach
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (3 ft swell at 11 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Mon 9 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- SE 14 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1037, poor
- Wed 1117, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Ballycastle Beach 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 | 51, fair | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft14 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the south-east, 14 knots | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the south-east, 14 knots | 10°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 9°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 03:08 +0.1 mLow 07:38 −0.1 mHigh 14:39 +0.5 mLow 22:09 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:05 +0.1 mLow 08:55 −0.2 mHigh 15:37 +0.5 mLow 22:55 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:50 +0.1 mLow 09:53 −0.2 mHigh 16:28 +0.5 mLow 23:36 −0.5 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
Ballycastle Beach 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 Ballycastle Beach
More surf near here
2 places
- Finn's Left 12.6 km away
- Portballintrae 19.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ballycastle Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (5°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (185°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 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 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). The town to stay in is Ballycastle, 1 km away (2 min by car).
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$1,290–US$2,400 each
about US$1,290–US$2,400 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 DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$423–US$879 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,400 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
2 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Ballycastle its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bushmills on Booking.com
20 min by car · 21 places to stay
- Beds in Portballintrae on Booking.com
22 min by car · 18 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 2 November 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 · 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.