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Surf Forecasts:
Fanad Head Reef surfForecast / Donegal / Ireland
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Wednesday 13 May 2026 ISTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Fanad Head Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Fanad Head Reef sea temperature is
11.0° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fanad Head Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Fanad Head Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 16) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Fanad Head Reef in the next 16 days are 4.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 13) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (May 19) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sat 16th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 17th May) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 13th May) | 13ft (4.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fanad Head Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Tue night, min 8°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Tue night, light winds from the NW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 7°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
NW 13 | NW 12 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 13 | NW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 8 | |
5261 | 3290 | 2026 | 1050 | 809 | 536 | 166 | 91 | 62 | 50 | 85 | 284 | 965 | 826 | 541 | 379 | 279 | 143 | 78 | 52 | 50 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | off | |
High Tide | 4:28PM2.71m | 4:40AM3.09m | 5:11PM2.96m | 5:26AM3.29m | 5:54PM3.20m | 6:11AM3.43m | 6:36PM3.37m | 6:56AM3.48m | 7:20PM3.48m | 7:43AM3.42m | 8:06PM3.49m | 8:32AM3.27m | 8:55PM3.42m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:13AM0.54m | 10:22PM0.60m | 10:56AM0.30m | 11:08PM0.37m | 11:37AM0.12m | 11:53PM0.17m | 12:19PM0.01m | 00:39AM0.03m | 1:02PM-0.01m | 1:26AM-0.02m | 1:46PM0.05m | 2:15AM0.03m | 2:33PM0.17m | 3:08AM0.18m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:26 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:34 | — | — | 9:36 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:38 |
2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | |
Temp °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
-1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | WNW 8 | N 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 8 |
 kJ | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 44 | 202 | 965 | 826 | 541 | 379 | 279 | 143 | 78 | 52 | 50 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 15 | WNW 8 | N 6 | N 6 | NW 13 | NW 14 | N 9 | — | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | E 5 | E 7 | WNW 13 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 91 | 20 | 6 | 85 | 284 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 15 | N 6 | N 6 | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | W 15 | NE 4 | WNW 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 13 | NW 12 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | WSW 3 | — |
| kJ | 5261 | 3290 | 2026 | 1050 | 809 | 536 | 166 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 451 | 892 | 462 | 1197 | 710 | 512 | 410 | 138 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 323 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Donegal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Fanad Head Reef 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 Fanad Head Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Fanad Head Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fanad Head Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fanad Head Reef 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 (Fanad Head Reef) 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 Fanad Head Reef 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.
Fanad Head Reef is 22 km (14 miles) from the city of 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.
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