Surf Forecasts:
Magheraroarty Strand surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 13s period, W swell with 10,054 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Magheraroarty Strand in the next 16 days are 5.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 11s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Magheraroarty Strand over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the charts for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, we’ve got a long wait ahead for anything decent.
Starting off, the outlook is pretty grim. The first solid recommendation isn't until Thursday, 10th September, and even then it’s a marginal call. For the first week and a half, we’re looking at spotty, small, and wind-affected surf. There are a few days with some size, like Monday, 31st August with a chest-to-head-high 8ft WNW swell, but the wind is screaming from the WNW at 19 mph, cross-shore, making it a lumpy, messy mess. Not worth paddling out for.
Tuesday, 1st September, has a bit more size again – 8ft from the west – but the wind is a strong 25 mph from the WSW. It’s clean, but it’s a washing machine. The combined energy is moderate at best (767 units). Then on Thursday, 3rd September, the models show a massive 18ft swell from the west, but it’s accompanied by a near-gale force 34 mph wind. The energy is staggering (10090 units), but it’s a total write-off for surfing. That’s strictly for the experts in a boat, not for a paddle.
The real standout, the only one worth circling on the calendar, is Thursday, 10th September afternoon at Magheraroarty Strand. The wind drops right out, going glassy, with a light SSW breeze at just 3 mph. A clean, 3ft swell from the west with a very long period of 15 seconds rolls in. That’s a proper groundswell, and with those conditions, it’ll be clean and well-shaped. The combined energy is moderate (357 units), but for a point break, that long period will wrap in nicely. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 61°, which is a nice bonus. The only downside? This spot is listed as *inconsistent*, so it’s a rare treat. If it’s breaking, you’ll want to be there.
After that, Friday, 11th September morning shows a clean offshore from the SSE, but no swell on the cards. The following week looks messy again, with strong onshore winds and some solid, unruly swell. For example, Friday, 11th September afternoon brings an 8ft swell from the west, but it’s a strong 25 mph cross-onshore – a total mess. And Saturday, 12th September is a gale-force disaster.
So, the bottom line: it’s a long, quiet spell. Apart from that one glassy afternoon on the 10th, there’s very little to get excited about. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off for clean, rideable waves.
Stay patient, and keep an eye on the wind shifts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Sun morning, strong winds from the SW by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue night, min 13°C on Tue afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Tue afternoon, near gales from the WSW by Thu afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 6 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | W 9 | WNW 8 | NW 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | N 8 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | W 13 | W 13 | WNW 12 | W 11 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 30 | 19 | 33 | 34 | 155 | 686 | 194 | 41 | 759 | 443 | 190 | 20 | 41 | 116 | 86 | 10054 | 6437 | 4094 | 1768 | 640 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | off |
High Tide | 7:45PM3.56m | 8:00AM3.24m | 8:16PM3.55m | 8:32AM3.23m | 8:48PM3.46m | 9:06AM3.16m | 9:23PM3.30m | 9:44AM3.03m | 10:04PM3.08m | 10:29AM2.85m | 10:54PM2.80m | 11:28AM2.65m | 00:06AM2.53m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:53AM0.09m | 1:57PM0.09m | 2:23AM0.10m | 2:30PM0.14m | 2:56AM0.18m | 3:05PM0.26m | 3:32AM0.34m | 3:45PM0.45m | 4:13AM0.56m | 4:34PM0.70m | 5:05AM0.82m | 5:40PM0.95m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | 8:34 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — |
mm | — | — | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 6 | N 6 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | N 7 | N 6 | NW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | W 8 | W 8 | N 8 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 9 | W 11 | W 10 |
| kJ | 30 | 19 | 80 | 154 | 23 | 7 | 194 | 25 | 8 | 443 | 190 | 20 | 41 | 116 | 86 | 36 | 30 | 39 | 1768 | 640 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | NW 6 | N 7 | N 7 | NNW 7 | — | — | W 9 | — | NNW 6 | N 6 | N 13 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | NNW 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 6 | 33 | 34 | 15 | — | — | 41 | — | 8 | 20 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | 127 | 400 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | W 9 | WSW 3 | NW 6 | W 11 | — | — | — | — | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 9 | WNW 8 | WSW 10 | W 7 | W 8 | — | SE 2 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | W 10 | W 13 | W 13 | WNW 12 | NNW 8 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 155 | 686 | 386 | 303 | 759 | — | 1 | 545 | 686 | 974 | 2679 | 10054 | 6437 | 4094 | 151 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 58 | 264 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 433 | 120 | 58 | 346 | 58 | 3 | 712 | 96 | 428 | 1073 | 793 | 491 | 862 | 446 | 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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Magheraroarty Strand 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 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.
Nearest