Surf Forecasts:
Red Strand (Dirk Bay) surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, SSW swell with 127 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Red Strand (Dirk Bay) this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Red Strand (Dirk Bay) in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Red Strand (Dirk Bay) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gather 'round, folks. Rusty here. Let's be honest about the next couple of weeks. This forecast is a long stretch of waiting for something to happen. As a rule, when it's flat like this around these parts, it tends to not stay this way forever, and forecasts can always shift.
We're looking at a real dry spell here. From now, right through to the 24th of September, there's practically nothing on the table. It's a long gap of small, choppy, or flat conditions that just aren't worth a paddle. You'll see a few tiny bumps, but the combined wave energy is barely a whisper, often sitting under 100 (31 to 64 on the good days). The winds are mostly onshore or cross-shore, teasing you with clean conditions on a few mornings, but the swell just isn't there to back it up. For example, on the 15th of September, you get a clean look with some 0.4m SW swell, but at a weak combined energy of 23, it's just not going to stand up. This quiet stretch is pretty normal for the area.
Then, just when you thought it was all over, we get a flicker of hope. The standout, and really the only game in town, is Friday the 25th of September at Red Strand (Dirk Bay). Mark it in your calendar. We finally see some life: a solid 7ft SSW swell rolling in with 8-second periods. The combined energy jumps to a strong 618, telling you there's real power in the water. It's a reef setup, and that SSW direction is exactly what it loves. The morning is looking crisp, with a light 6 mph cross-offshore breeze keeping it clean. That's the session to aim for. The afternoon on the same day drops to 6ft and the wind swings onshore a touch, making it less appealing.
The morning of Saturday the 26th of September still has some pulse: 5ft SW swell with a clean cross-offshore breeze and a combined energy of 283. It's surfable, but it's a step down from Friday's peak. This spot is a beginner-friendly reef that is fairly consistent when it does get swell, but keep in mind, crowds are possible here.
As for the water, it feels about average for this time of year.
So, there you have it. A whole lot of flat, and one real chance to get wet. Don't sleep on that Friday morning.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Fri morning, fresh winds from the SW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | SW 8 | SSW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SW 7 | SW 8 | WSW 10 | W 10 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 4 | SW 5 | S 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 23 | 23 | 28 | 116 | 93 | 24 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 40 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:45AM3.50m | 6:06PM3.61m | 6:25AM3.59m | 6:45PM3.63m | 7:03AM3.59m | 7:23PM3.55m | 7:40AM3.50m | 7:59PM3.40m | 8:17AM3.34m | 8:36PM3.18m | 8:54AM3.13m | 9:13PM2.94m | 9:33AM2.88m | 9:54PM2.68m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:06PM0.05m | 00:27AM0.05m | 12:44PM0.02m | 1:03AM0.06m | 1:20PM0.06m | 1:37AM0.15m | 1:55PM0.18m | 2:10AM0.30m | 2:29PM0.36m | 2:44AM0.49m | 3:05PM0.58m | 3:20AM0.71m | 3:46PM0.82m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:46 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | SW 8 | W 10 | S 15 | W 10 | S 5 | S 5 | WSW 10 | S 13 | SW 12 | WSW 8 | S 12 | SSE 5 | SW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 7 | W 10 | W 10 | S 14 | SW 5 | SW 6 |
| kJ | 23 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | SSE 6 | S 16 | SW 15 | S 15 | SW 6 | WSW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | W 14 | SW 12 | W 11 | SW 7 | S 5 | S 7 | W 10 | S 11 | S 13 | W 10 | S 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 16 | S 16 | — | — | W 10 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | — | — | W 11 | W 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 6 | S 13 | S 10 | S 10 | W 10 | S 18 |
| kJ | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | 8 | 7 | 17 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | S 5 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | WSW 2 | WSW 3 | SW 4 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 28 | 116 | 93 | — | — | 12 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 40 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 71 | 103 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 284 | 809 | 585 | 391 | 911 | 467 | 366 | 434 | 267 | 103 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cork | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Red Strand (Dirk Bay) 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 Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Red Strand (Dirk Bay) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Red Strand (Dirk Bay) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Red Strand (Dirk Bay) 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 (Red Strand (Dirk Bay)) 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 Red Strand (Dirk Bay) 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 Red Strand (Dirk Bay), camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cork, consider staying in Kinsale which is 34 km (21 miles) away. Other places in and around Cork where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Bantry which is 39 km (24 miles) away, Cork, Cobh and Youghal.
Nearest