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Crab Island
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 375kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 402kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- E 15 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 230, too small
- Tue 334, too small
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
- Wed 1111, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Expertwho it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Crab Island does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 375kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 402kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the east, 15 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:03 −1.0 mHigh 10:33 +1.3 mLow 17:00 −1.3 mHigh 23:37 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:32 −0.9 mHigh 11:57 +1.3 mLow 18:24 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:54 +1.2 mLow 06:54 −1.1 mHigh 13:10 +1.4 mLow 19:33 −1.6 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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for expert surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Crab Island 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Crab Island
More surf near here
5 places
- Doolin point 0.8 km away
- Aileens 4.5 km away
- Lahinch 10.9 km away
- Lahinch Left 11.1 km away
- Barrtrá 11.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Crab Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (280°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (100°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 9°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 Doolin, 2.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,310–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 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$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$1,310–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: 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
about 5 min by car · 61 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Doolin its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lahinch on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 20 places to stay
- Beds in Fanore on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 5 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 50m
About 15h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 4h 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.
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.