Surf Forecasts:
Ballyhiernan Bay surf forecast from 31 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 1 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, WNW swell with 121 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Ballyhiernan Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Ballyhiernan Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Ballyhiernan Bay in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 01) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Ballyhiernan Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s be honest with you. The next couple of weeks here at Ballyhiernan Bay are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long, flat, and messy stretch ahead before anything worth getting excited about shows up. This is one of those times when you’re better off leaving the board in the car, because for the first week or so, there’s just nothing on offer. The swell is weak, the winds are all over the shop, and it’s mostly cross-shore chop. Gaps of several days with no real recommendations.
The water is sitting at 61°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s something at least. But that’s about the only positive for a while.
The first real pulse of energy comes on Sunday the 9th of August. After over a week of small, messy leftovers, we finally see a jump in the swell, with a combo of swells pushing the energy up to a solid 398 and then 760. The wind swings around to a gentle offshore from the SSE, and it looks clean, real clean. This is the standout period. Sunday morning sees 6ft of swell from the NW, and by the afternoon it’s pushing 7ft with a 9-second period. It’s not huge, but after all that nothing, it’s going to feel like a proper day out. The offshore wind is the key—it’s going to keep the faces smooth. This is the best on offer, no doubt.
Monday the 10th still has some life in it, with a 4ft NW swell and a moderate offshore breeze on the morning. It’s still good, but it’s a step down from the day before. By the afternoon the wind goes a bit cross-off and the energy drops.
Beyond that, it’s a quick fade. Tuesday the 11th through to Saturday the 15th sees the swell drop right back down to less than 3ft, with the wind mostly cross-on or onshore. There’s a brief moment of glass on the morning of the 13th, but with only 1ft on offer, it’s not worth the paddle. That’s about it. Keep an eye on that Sunday the 9th, it’s the only real chance we get.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Fri morning, light winds from the ENE by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | N 5 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 77 | 94 | 90 | 121 | 121 | 76 | 104 | 88 | 50 | 52 | 81 | 60 | 78 | 51 | 113 | 98 | 91 | 98 | 28 | 9 | 7 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:22PM3.32m | 8:35AM2.96m | 8:53PM3.31m | 9:07AM2.93m | 9:25PM3.25m | 9:40AM2.87m | 9:58PM3.14m | 10:18AM2.77m | 10:37PM2.98m | 11:02AM2.65m | 11:25PM2.79m | 11:58AM2.52m | 00:29AM2.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:01PM0.24m | 2:30AM0.32m | 2:31PM0.24m | 3:02AM0.32m | 3:03PM0.28m | 3:34AM0.36m | 3:38PM0.39m | 4:10AM0.46m | 4:16PM0.53m | 4:52AM0.59m | 5:03PM0.72m | 5:43AM0.77m | 6:04PM0.90m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:32 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 8 | NNW 7 | N 7 | N 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 11 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | WNW 10 | NNW 5 | N 5 | W 9 |
| kJ | 40 | 29 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 76 | 104 | 88 | 50 | 52 | 81 | 60 | 78 | 2 | 113 | 98 | 91 | 10 | 28 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 11 | W 10 | — | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | W 9 | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 11 | — | WNW 10 | NW 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | — | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 60 | 60 | 59 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 9 | — | 10 | 5 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | N 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | ENE 2 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | — | N 8 | — | — | — | NNW 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 77 | 94 | 90 | 121 | 121 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 51 | — | — | — | 98 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 432 | 134 | 368 | 384 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 318 | 322 | 351 | 386 | 36 | 394 | 596 | 481 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Donegal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Ballyhiernan Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Ballyhiernan Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Ballyhiernan Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Ballyhiernan Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Ballyhiernan Bay surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Ballyhiernan Bay) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Ballyhiernan Bay may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Ballyhiernan Bay is 28 km (17 miles) from Malin Head. If you plan a holiday in Donegal, look for hotels and other accommodation in Malin Head. Malin Head has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest