Surf Forecasts:
Inchydoney surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 5s period, WSW swell with 99 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Inchydoney this week:
The surf forecast for Inchydoney over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Inchydoney in the next 16 days are 1.4m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Inchydoney over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be honest with ourselves about the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long, flat stretch ahead before things get interesting.
The next week and a half is a total write-off for decent waves. We’re looking at a lot of days with barely a bump, most of it under 2ft, with the swell energy weak, sitting mostly in the 40-90 range. We’ve got a mix of onshores and lumpy cross-shore breezes making things messy, and a few days where the wind swings around to the north, giving us some clean, offshore conditions. But it’s clean and flat, which is no good to anyone. A surfer would call that a cruel tease.
We do see a little bump of short-period energy on Wednesday, the 19th afternoon, but the wind is a strong cross-shore mess, so it won’t hold up. Thursday the 20th has some clean morning conditions with a northwest offshore, but the swell is only 2ft. The first real, rideable wave shows up Friday morning, the 21st, when we get a tiny 1ft SSW groundswell with a long 16-second period and a gentle north offshore. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The energy is weak (91), and you’d be scratching for anything. This pattern of tiny, clean, and weak continues through the following week. We’ll get some clean mornings with that offshore north wind, but the swell stays stubbornly small, maxing out around 2ft. Honestly, it’s a good time to check your wax and fix your dings, but not much else.
Now, the big news is for late in the window. Around Wednesday, August 26th, the energy starts to climb. The morning shows a bump to 6ft, but it’s a short-period wind swell, so it’ll be lumpy. But hold on to your board shorts, because that afternoon the models are showing a big pulse.
Thursday, August 27th is the standout. We’ve got an 8ft SSW groundswell with a 10-second period, and the energy is very strong at 1149. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the WNW, and the wave comment says clean. This is the real deal. For Inchydoney (West Cork), this is when it gets proper. That’s a big, powerful swell for the river mouth. This one is for experienced surfers only, as it’s well over the 8ft mark. Swell direction is SSW, which is right in the zone for this setup. This is the one to circle on the calendar.
Friday, August 28th, the swell will have dropped off a cliff back to 2ft. The energy is gone, and it’s back to poor conditions.
Then, after that pulse, we go quiet again. The following week has a small, clean-blown swell on Sunday, August 30th, but with a short 6-second period and wind that’s a bit too strong for it to be any fun. And that’s about it. The long-range stuff for September 1st shows another pulse, but it’s a long way out, so treat it as promising but not something to book your week around.
So, to sum it up: we’re in for a long flat spell. The only true standout is Thursday, August 27th, when a proper-sized SW groundswell hits Inchydoney. Get on it if you’ve got the experience.
Stay stoked,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the W by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Fri afternoon, calm by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WSW 5 | SSW 17 | WSW 4 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | WSW 5 | SSW 15 | WSW 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
30 | 31 | 39 | 56 | 28 | 58 | 50 | 99 | 79 | 45 | 82 | 39 | 35 | 50 | 50 | 72 | 72 | 86 | 76 | 79 | 81 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross | off |
High Tide | 8:52AM3.42m | 9:14PM3.31m | 9:33AM3.21m | 9:55PM3.05m | 10:16AM2.96m | 10:40PM2.79m | 11:04AM2.72m | 11:33PM2.55m | 12:06PM2.52m | 00:44AM2.40m | 1:26PM2.43m | 2:08AM2.39m | 2:46PM2.50m | 3:19AM2.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.32m | 3:32AM0.48m | 3:53PM0.55m | 4:12AM0.70m | 4:36PM0.79m | 4:57AM0.92m | 5:28PM1.02m | 5:54AM1.11m | 6:36PM1.17m | 7:10AM1.21m | 7:58PM1.21m | 8:32AM1.18m | 9:13PM1.12m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:42 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 15 |
Feels °C | 17 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 4 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WSW 7 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | E 5 | ENE 5 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
5 | 31 | 10 | 56 | 28 | 58 | 50 | 49 | 62 | 45 | 30 | 39 | 35 | 34 | 50 | 15 | 10 | 86 | 76 | 79 | 81 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 7 | S 11 | S 19 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WSW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 9 | WSW 9 |
5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 79 | 42 | 82 | 15 | 26 | 50 | 16 | 72 | 72 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | — | S 11 | — | — | S 10 | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | WNW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WNW 5 | — | — | WSW 9 |
30 | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | — | — | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WNW 4 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | N 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 3 | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | SW 2 | — |
— | 24 | 39 | 36 | 22 | 16 | 36 | 99 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 4 | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 18 | 299 | 537 | 113 | 491 | 428 | 427 | 419 | 391 | 272 | 388 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cork | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Inchydoney Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Inchydoney provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Inchydoney can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Inchydoney 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 (Inchydoney) 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 Inchydoney 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 Cork? If you are looking for accommodation near Inchydoney, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cork, consider staying in Kinsale which is 27 km (17 miles) away. Other places in and around Cork where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Bantry which is 42 km (26 miles) away, Cork, Cobh and Youghal.











