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Sandy Bay-Maharees, Ireland

Stay in Castlegregory: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Castlegregory

Watch this spot We email you when Sandy Bay-Maharees is worth the trip.

About Sandy Bay-Maharees

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details 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 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 16 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 14 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → KIR · Skyscanner from about £365 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Sandy Bay-Maharees.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CastlegregoryAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Castlegregory (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

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

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Sandy Bay-Maharees, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct4, too small1 ft12 s24kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot12°C
Mon 19Oct12, too small2 ft12 s123kJwind from the east, 4 knots10°C
Tue 20Oct2, too small2 ft11 s65kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots11°C
Wed 21Oct19, too small3 ft7 s101kJwind from the west-north-west, 19 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 22Oct5, too small3 ft7 s62kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots10°C
Fri 23Oct12, too small3 ft7 s88kJwind from the west-north-west, 26 knots, offshore11°C
Sat 24Oct11, too small3 ft10 s131kJwind from the south-west, 17 knots, offshore15°C
Sun 25Oct37, fair5 ft12 s558kJwind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 26Oct21, too small4 ft10 s223kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots, offshore13°C
Tue 27Oct12, too small3 ft9 s137kJwind from the west-south-west, 19 knots, offshore11°C

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. 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 Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to KIR, changing at DUB, then 55 min by road. About 16h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Gary William Point

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 9 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 8 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to KIR, changing at DUB, then 55 min by road. About 16h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Castlegregory each day: Brandon Bay, Gary William Point, Sandy Bay-Maharees.

The trip from Castlegregory, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,060–£1,965 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

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 bag£365–£755
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£60–£105
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£260–£430
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£95–£155
Total£1,060–£1,965

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Castlegregory

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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