
Surf Forecasts:
Magheraroarty Strand surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, NW swell with 1,898 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Magheraroarty Strand this week:
The surf forecast for Magheraroarty Strand over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Magheraroarty Strand in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Magheraroarty Strand over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's happening for the Magheraroarty Strand area.
It's a slow burner, to be honest. The first few days are pretty grim, and you won't be missing much until we get into the second week. The water's sitting at about 60°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's a nice little bonus.
The big story is that the decent surf is mostly going to be too big for this spot. We've got a solid pulse of NW swell building through Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th, with waves around 11 to 12 feet, but it's getting hammered by strong WNW winds, making it a total mess. The combined swell energy is massive (1754), but it's all for nothing with that wind. Forget it.
The real standout, and the only one I'd get excited about, is looking like the morning of Monday the 10th of August. We've got a clean 8-foot NW swell, with a period of 9 seconds, coming in with a light cross-onshore breeze and a combined energy of 1259. The wind is light, so the surface should be pretty clean with just small wind ripples. It's a powerful wave, but at 8 feet, it's pushing into expert-only territory for this setup. If you're experienced and the tide lines up, you'll be in for a treat. The afternoon of that day is a step down, but still a solid 6-foot NW swell.
We then have a bit of a lull. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th ease off into smaller waves, but the morning of Tuesday the 11th has a clean 4-foot swell with a 10-second period and cross-off winds, offering a much more manageable, mellow session. The afternoon of Tuesday the 11th actually has light offshore winds, giving you some clean, lined-up waves in the 3-foot range.
Later in the week, the swell tries to kick back in. Thursday the 13th afternoon sees a chunky 8-foot W swell with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 1125, but it's getting a cross-shore wind, which will put a bit of a chop on it. Again, that's a lot of power for Magheraroarty, and it's a marginal call.
The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off with strong winds and messy conditions. There are a few brief windows of cleaner conditions, but the swell is either too small, too big, or the wind is too strong. Don't hold your breath for the last week.
So, to sum it up: the best bet on offer is the morning of Monday the 10th of August for the experts, and the morning of Tuesday the 11th for a cleaner, smaller session. Everything else is a bit of a gamble or a washout.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Tue morning, strong winds from the WNW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Fri morning, light winds from the N by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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) | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NNW 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 | N 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
130 | 137 | 413 | 1754 | 1556 | 587 | 117 | 56 | 99 | 429 | 1162 | 1131 | 1153 | 664 | 943 | 970 | 752 | 950 | 921 | 612 | 519 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:13AM2.85m | 10:32PM3.06m | 10:57AM2.73m | 11:19PM2.87m | 11:53AM2.60m | 00:23AM2.68m | 1:09PM2.52m | 1:50AM2.57m | 2:42PM2.58m | 3:23AM2.62m | 4:04PM2.81m | 4:39AM2.81m | 5:07PM3.13m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM0.54m | 4:45AM0.59m | 4:56PM0.73m | 5:36AM0.76m | 5:57PM0.91m | 6:44AM0.92m | 7:21PM1.02m | 8:10AM0.98m | 8:57PM0.96m | 9:34AM0.86m | 10:18PM0.73m | 10:41AM0.63m | 11:21PM0.44m | ||||||||
5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:20 | — | — | 9:17 | |
mm | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 |
Feels °C | 16 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | W 10 | — | — | W 10 | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | — | W 10 | N 11 | N 10 | N 9 | N 8 | NNW 14 | NNW 11 | N 11 | NW 10 | N 12 |
130 | 137 | 8 | — | — | 18 | 117 | 56 | 7 | 1 | — | 900 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 430 | 338 | 612 | 519 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | NW 6 | W 10 | W 9 | N 7 | — | — | — | N 10 | — | — | N 8 | — | — | N 11 | NW 9 |
5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 17 | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 441 | 300 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 |
2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 3 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NNW 8 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 7 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | — | — |
— | 2 | 413 | 1754 | 1556 | 587 | 43 | 46 | 99 | 429 | 1162 | 1131 | 1153 | 664 | 943 | 970 | 752 | 950 | 921 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 17 | 36 | 414 | 448 | 781 | 348 | 361 | 102 | 347 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 102 | 66 | 372 | 1229 | 183 | 32 | 9 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Donegal | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Latest Updates
Information about the Magheraroarty Strand Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Magheraroarty Strand provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Magheraroarty Strand can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Magheraroarty Strand 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 (Magheraroarty Strand) 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 Magheraroarty Strand 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.
Magheroarty Strand is 35 km (22 miles) from the city of Letterkenny. If you plan a holiday in Donegal, look for hotels and other accommodation in Letterkenny. Letterkenny has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











