Keel strand , Achill island
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 466kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 355, fair
- Wed 457, fair
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 66, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1043, poor
- Wed 1139, poor
- Thu 1244, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Keel strand , Achill island does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 57, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 466kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft14 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 19 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 39, poor | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 220kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 22 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 8°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:10 +0.8 mLow 06:01 −0.7 mHigh 12:20 +1.1 mLow 18:59 −1.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:28 +1.0 mLow 07:24 −0.9 mHigh 13:34 +1.3 mLow 20:06 −1.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 02:29 +1.2 mLow 08:28 −1.1 mHigh 14:35 +1.4 mLow 21:00 −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.
Map
the spot and its town
Keel strand , Achill island 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Keel strand , Achill island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (201°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (21°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in February, 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 Keel, 0.7 km away (2 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports 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$1,290–US$2,390 each
about US$1,290–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 3 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to NOC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LHR, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$409–US$858 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$288–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$1,290–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: Keel
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2 min by car · 9 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Keel 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 3 November 2026.
Getting there: about 18h 15m
About 18h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NOC, changing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), then 1h 45m by road
Flights ORD → NOC 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.