Surf Forecasts:
Inch Reefs surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, WNW swell with 349 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Inch Reefs this week:
The surf forecast for Inch Reefs over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Inch Reefs in the next 16 days are 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Inch Reefs over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the upcoming surf. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag on the cards, so let’s get into it.
First up, the water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Nice.
We kick things off on Sunday, August 23rd with tiny, weak swells. Early morning at Inch Reefs has just 1ft of SW swell with a period of 14 seconds. It’s glassy, which is beautiful, but the combined energy is only 63. That’s barely a ripple. Honestly, it’s surfable but very ordinary. The afternoon turns cross-shore and the score drops to a zero. Not the start we wanted.
Monday, August 24th gets even smaller. Clean conditions with light cross-offshore and glassy winds in the morning and afternoon, but the swell drops to 0.7ft. Combined energy of 32-35. That’s a flat day. We’re just waiting.
Tuesday, August 25th is where it finally starts to wake up. Morning sees the swell bump to 4ft from the west at a short 9 second period. The combined energy jumps to 209 (moderate), and with a clean, light cross-offshore breeze, this is the best we’ve seen. Expect good surf conditions. It’s not huge, but it’s rideable and clean. The afternoon drops off a bit.
Wednesday, August 26th and Thursday, August 27th keep things small again (2ft and 4ft) though Thursday morning is clean and has a better looking WNW swell with energy at 266. Still, nothing special.
From Friday, August 28th right through to the end of the month, it’s a total write-off. We get onshore winds, rain, and minimal swell. Many days have combined energy in the single digits. A few spots see moderate to fresh cross-onshore breezes, making it choppy and lumpy. Not worth paddling out.
Then we hit early September. The first couple of days of the new month are still tiny and weak, but the wind is clean. Still, no power.
Then things get weird. Thursday, September 3rd brings a jump in swell height but with onshore winds and short periods (6 seconds). 4ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon, but the energy jumps to 548. The wind ruins it though – it’s onshore and cross-onshore. The rating drops to marginal-to-poor.
Friday, September 4th is a standout for size, but not for quality. Swell hits 8ft from the WSW in the morning (energy 889) and 8ft in the afternoon (energy 853). That’s a lot of water moving. But it’s onshore wind again, and the period is short at 8 seconds. For experienced surfers only in these conditions, and even then, it’s messy. The wave state is described as “unknown” which is never a good sign.
The days after that drop back to small swells with strong onshore winds, and then on Monday, September 7th we see a massive, untameable swell. Morning has a 16ft W swell, energy at 4457, with strong cross-onshore winds – a total mess. The afternoon is even bigger: 23ft from the W, period 16 seconds, and energy at a massive 23247. The wind is a strong cross-shore, creating a messy cross-chop. The model says wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That is a monster, but it’s a bricks-and-mortar day for everyone but the most extreme tow crews, and even then, the wind is ugly.
The Bottom Line:
Honestly, if you’re looking for a clean, fun session, Tuesday, August 25th morning is your best bet. It’s the only window where the swell is reasonable (4ft, W), the wind is clean and light, and the energy is solid for a paddle. After that, it’s either flat, onshore slop, or way too big and windy to be any fun. The real standout for raw power is Friday, September 4th, but only for experts who don't mind onshore, short-period conditions. And that 23ft monster on the 7th is a pure warning, not a go. Stay savvy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
49 | 51 | 53 | 20 | 18 | 332 | 192 | 122 | 78 | 40 | 45 | 286 | 240 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 2:29PM2.51m | 3:08AM2.50m | 3:24PM2.71m | 3:54AM2.70m | 4:05PM2.94m | 4:32AM2.90m | 4:41PM3.16m | 5:06AM3.09m | 5:14PM3.34m | 5:38AM3.24m | 5:46PM3.46m | 6:10AM3.35m | 6:18PM3.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:54PM1.08m | 9:11AM1.09m | 9:41PM0.86m | 9:52AM0.89m | 10:19PM0.64m | 10:28AM0.70m | 10:52PM0.43m | 11:00AM0.53m | 11:23PM0.25m | 11:31AM0.39m | 11:53PM0.13m | 12:03PM0.30m | 00:24AM0.07m | ||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | |
— | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 6 | 17 | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 5 | SW 11 | NNW 7 | NW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 7 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
11 | 30 | 18 | 354 | 365 | 332 | 192 | 122 | 78 | 40 | 45 | 286 | 240 | 146 | 76 | 619 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | NW 5 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 12 | — | — | — | — |
49 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 26 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 8 | NW 10 | NW 10 | S 8 | S 8 | WNW 11 | NNW 12 | NW 11 | N 4 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 9 | — | — | — | — |
14 | 51 | 53 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 4 | — | NW 4 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 8 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | — | 7 | 751 | 739 | 919 | 1065 | 1108 | 865 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 32 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 78 | 98 | 27 | 11 | 308 | 294 | 458 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kerry | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Information about the Inch Reefs Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Inch Reefs provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Inch Reefs can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Inch Reefs 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 (Inch Reefs) 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 Inch Reefs 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Kerry? If you are looking for accommodation near Inch Reefs, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Kerry, consider staying in Fenit which is 18 km (11 miles) away. Other places in and around Kerry where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Tra Li which is 24 km (15 miles) away, Valentia, Bantry and Foynes.











