Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Break

Lat Long: 51.55° N 8.94° W

Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 15 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Red Strand (Dirk Bay) sea temperature is
19.1° C
2.6° 

Red Strand (Dirk Bay) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Red Strand (Dirk Bay) surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period, W swell with 110 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 1.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (IST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 7AM (Mon 17th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Red Strand (Dirk Bay) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days at Red Strand (Dirk Bay) are a tough sell. The forecast is pretty much a flat spell with weak energy and messy conditions. The water is sitting at 66°F – that’s a good 5°F above the long-term average, so it’s way warmer than you’d expect for this time of year. But the surf just isn’t there to enjoy it.

The pattern starts this Saturday 15 August. We’re looking at a tiny 0.7 ft swell from the WSW with a short 7-second period, and combined energy is only 11 – that’s weak. The morning is clear with a gentle offshore breeze, so it’s clean, but there’s no power to push a wave. That afternoon, it gets worse: cross-onshore winds and choppy. Sunday 16 August drops even further to 0.3 ft, and while the swell period stretches to 19 seconds on Sunday afternoon, there’s no height to work with. The energy is a paltry 13.

Monday 17 August offers a bit of hope with the biggest swell of the first week: 3 ft from the west, period 7 seconds, and energy climbs to 120 – that’s moderate. The morning is clear with light cross-shore winds, so it’s rideable for a beginner wanting a foamie session, but it’s not going to turn heads. That afternoon, a fresh 19 mph cross-wind chops it up.

From Tuesday 18 August through to Thursday 27 August, we’re stuck in a rut. The swell hovers between 0.7 ft and 1 ft, with periods mostly around 14-17 seconds, but the energy stays low – anywhere from 32 to 80. The wind is often fresh and cross-shore or cross-off, so it’s clean at times, but there’s simply no wave face to surf. Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August mornings have clean offshore winds, but the swell is so small (0.7 ft-1 ft) you’d be paddling over nothing. The longest period of 18 seconds on Monday 17 August afternoon is a tease – no height.

The real standouts in this whole 16-day window? There aren’t any. The best shot is Monday 17 August morning with that 3 ft W swell, clean conditions, and a beginner-friendly wave. For anyone else, it’s a flat spell. The whole stretch from 15 August to 30 August has no real juice. The final days on 30 August do show a slight bump: 3 ft from the SE on Sunday morning, period 6 seconds, energy 77, and clean cross-off winds. But that’s still short-period, weak, and really only a small step up. It’s not enough to call a standout.

Bottom line: pack a longboard, a kayak, or just come back another week. The forecast says poor surf conditions across the board, and it’s not likely to change quickly. If you’re desperate, Monday 17 August morning is your best bet, but don’t hold your breath.

– Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sat night, fresh winds from the W by Mon afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
WSW
7
0.2
WSW
7
0.1
S
12
0.1
S
12
0.1
S
19
0.1
S
18
0.9
W
7
0.2
SSW
18
0.2
SSW
16
0.2
SSW
17
0.2
SSW
17
0.3
SSW
17
0.2
SSW
16
0.3
SSW
16
0.3
SSW
15
0.3
SSW
15
0.3
SSW
14
0.3
SSW
14
0.2
SSW
16
0.3
SSW
16
0.4
SSW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
5
5
3
3
7
6
87
31
26
28
28
59
26
50
47
42
41
40
25
50
84
Wind (km/h)
20
N
20
WSW
10
N
20
W
25
WSW
20
W
10
W
30
W
25
WSW
25
W
30
WNW
20
W
30
WNW
35
W
25
WNW
30
WNW
30
WNW
30
NNW
20
NNW
25
NNW
20
N
Wind State
off
cross-on
off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
High Tide
7:51PM3.60m
8:10AM3.49m
8:32PM3.44m
8:50AM3.33m
9:12PM3.22m
9:31AM3.12m
9:53PM2.96m
10:14AM2.88m
10:38PM2.71m
11:03AM2.64m
11:32PM2.48m
12:05PM2.46m
00:44AM2.34m
Low Tide
1:49PM0.04m
2:11AM0.14m
2:29PM0.15m
2:49AM0.29m
3:08PM0.34m
3:27AM0.49m
3:48PM0.56m
4:07AM0.71m
4:32PM0.80m
4:53AM0.92m
5:26PM1.01m
5:52AM1.10m
6:36PM1.16m
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:20
6:20
6:22
6:24
6:26
6:28
6:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:59
8:57
8:54
8:52
8:51
8:49
8:46
 mm
1
Temp °C
18
18
16
18
18
18
18
19
18
19
19
15
16
17
16
18
19
15
17
18
13
Feels °C
16
15
14
14
17
17
14
14
16
16
14
12
10
10
12
13
13
10
12
12
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Red Strand (Dirk Bay):

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest