Surf-Forecast | Fanad Head Reef Surf Guide

Lat Long: 55.28° N 7.64° W

Issued: 5 pm 04 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Fanad Head Reef sea temperature is

12.5°C

Fanad Head Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Photo by: Michael

Fanad Head Reef Surf Guide

Fanad Head Reef in Donegal is an exposed beach break that has dependable surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the south southeast and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Easily blown out by an onshore breeze Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell angle is from the north northwest. There is no beach break and there is left hand reef break too. The location means that it never gets crowded. Watch out for rocks.

Fanad Head Reef Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	4	consistent	12.5°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
Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 20:36 Local Time

m, °C	Wed	Thursday 05
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	12	12	12	12
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off

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: 03:09am | 2.64m

Next Low Water: 08:56pm | 0.57m

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

Fanad Head Reef Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.5 °C) at Fanad Head Reef is quite cold. Despite the sun, windchill of 8.0 °C means that surfers will need plenty of neoprene. Wear a quality winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots. A windchill factor of (8.0 °C).

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