Staying Home Sucks, home
The coast of Tralee Bay
Sandy Bay-Maharees. Photo: David Purchase, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sandy Bay-Maharees

Surf spot · Ireland

Is it worth the trip?

3Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: too small (1 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
8kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 s
Energy
14kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
11°C

Wed 4 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 s
Energy
23kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 1 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft6 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 s
Energy
7kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
11°C

Sat 7 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
8kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
9°C

Sun 8 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
15kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
7°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 14, too small
  2. Mon 23, too small
  3. Tue 33, too small
  4. Wed 44, too small
  5. Thu 51, too small
  6. Fri 63, too small
  7. Sat 74, too small
  8. Sun 85, too small
  9. Mon 96, too small
  10. Tue 104, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

Sandy Bay-Maharees does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Sandy Bay-Maharees, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov4, too small2 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots11°C
Mon 2Nov3, too small1 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the east, 3 knots12°C
Tue 3Nov3, too small1 ft14 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots11°C
Wed 4Nov4, too small1 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the east, 6 knots11°C
Thu 5Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots10°C
Fri 6Nov3, too small1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots11°C
Sat 7Nov4, too small1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots9°C
Sun 8Nov5, too small1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots7°C
Mon 9Nov6, too small2 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the east, 12 knots11°C
Tue 10Nov4, too small2 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the north-north-west, 16 knots11°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 02:34 −1.2 mHigh 08:58 +1.4 mLow 15:21 −1.4 mHigh 21:55 +1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 03:49 −1.0 mHigh 10:17 +1.2 mLow 16:43 −1.3 mHigh 23:20 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 05:16 −0.9 mHigh 11:41 +1.2 mLow 18:06 −1.4 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

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sandy Bay-Maharees

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (87°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (267°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. 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 Castlegregory, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,230–US$2,280 each

about US$1,230–US$2,280 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$415–US$858
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$80–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$288–US$482
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$127–US$208
Totalabout US$1,230–US$2,280

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

Closest

Castlegregory

4 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Castlegregory · Booking.com

About Castlegregory 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 16h 20m

About 16h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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