Ballyheirnan Bay, Ireland
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Dunfanaghy, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 41 km.
Watch this spot We email you when Ballyheirnan Bay is worth the trip.
About Ballyheirnan Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces NW (336°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (156°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 45). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Dunfanaghy, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 41 km.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 16 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin Airport (DUB), direct. About 26 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → DUB · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAdGetting there. 4 h 10 from the airport to Ballyheirnan Bay.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Dunfanaghy, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 41 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Ballyheirnan Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Ballyheirnan Bay · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Ballyheirnan Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 19Oct | 39, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft | 604kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 39, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling | 432kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 11, poor | 6 ft9 smushy | 611kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 16 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 36, fair | 5 ft8 ssoft | 282kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 5, too small | 4 ft10 smushy | 312kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 20 knots | 9°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 54, good | 7 ft9 ssoft | 742kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 19, poor | 8 ft12 smushy | 1,681kJ | wind from the west, 29 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 11, too small | 5 ft8 smushy | 255kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 11, too small | 3 ft7 smushy | 113kJ | offshorewind from the south, 12 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 28Oct | 0, poor | – | – | – | – |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates
- Tue 20 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 4h 10 by road. About 16h door to door
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 14 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
- Sat 24 OctSurf Ballyheirnan Bay
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
- Sun 25 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 20 of 80.
- Mon 26 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 4h 10 by road. About 16h door to door
Rough cost
About £855–£1,625 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| 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 | £370–£770 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £110–£180 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £245–£455 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £95–£155 |
| Total | £855–£1,625 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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