Fanad Head Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Donegal, Ireland)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Fanad Head Reef Surf Guide

Fanad Head Reef in Donegal is an exposed beach break that has consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds blow from the south southeast and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Easily blown out by onshore winds Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the optimum swell angle is from the north northwest. There is no beach break and there is also a left hand reef break. Crowds are never a problem here. Take care to avoid the rocks.

Fanad Head Reef Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	4	consistent	11.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Fanad Head Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Fanad Head Reef occur when a North-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South-southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Fanad Head Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Fanad Head Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 20% of the time in October while 36% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 44% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

20%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

36%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

44%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Fanad Head Reef Location Map

Interactive Fanad Head Reef surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Fanad Head Reef is Londonderry Eglinton Airport (LDY) in North Ireland, 40 km (25 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Fanad Head Reef is St Angelo (Enniskillen) Airport (ENK) in England, 98 km (61 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Fanad Head Reef Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 22:25 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	10PM	1AM	4AM	7AM
Wave (m)	NW	WNW	WNW	N
Period (s)	9	9	8	10
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	on	on

What does Fanad Head Reef look like?

Latest photos from Fanad Head Reef. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Michael Credit: Michael Credit: Michael Credit: Michael Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Fanad Head Reef

Current tide and informaton

For Ballyhiernan Bay, 5 km from Fanad Head Reef.

Next High Water: 09:23am | 2.63m

Next Low Water: 03:17am | 0.74m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Fanad Head Reef Sea Temperature

Cold Fanad Head Reef water temperature (11.0 °C) today. Despite the sunshine, we suggest wearing a thick winter wetsuit, and ideally a neoprene hood, gloves and boots too because of the windchill will make air temperatures feel close to freezing.

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.