Surf Forecasts:
Red Strand (Dirk Bay) surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, WSW swell with 450 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 1.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Red Strand (Dirk Bay) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Red Strand (Dirk Bay). This forecast is a tough one, mate. A real head-scratcher. You've got a 16-day window but the stoke-o-meter is barely twitching.
The water is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – not a bad thing if you’re in a thick steamer, but nothing to write home about.
Right from the get-go, Monday the 31st of August starts flat and grim. Wind is howling cross-off and then cross, swell is tiny at 1ft with weak energy (70) and (32), and the report says it plain: poor surf. That sets the tone for the whole run. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… it’s all the same story: small, weak swell being hammered by onshore and cross-on winds. We see a little spike on Wednesday the 2nd of September with a 4ft south-southwest swell, but the energy is only moderate (160) and the wind is fresh cross-on, making it a lumpy, messy affair. Not worth paddling out for.
There’s a bit of a lull in quality through the weekend. The swell stays below 3ft and the wind is all wrong, mostly onshore or cross-on. You get a glimmer on Monday the 7th of September with some offshore wind from the north-northwest and a 3ft south swell – that’s clean, with moderate energy (106) – but again, the conditions are called poor. It’s just not coming together.
Then we see a pump of energy mid-month. Monday the 14th of September rolls in with a 6ft to 6ft swell from the southwest. The combined energy jumps to 370 and 417 – that’s strong, for sure. But the wind is a fresh to strong cross-onshore, making it messy. At this size, it’s getting too big for beginners anyway, and with that wind, it’s just a washing machine. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
For a solid week after that, it’s back to small, weak, and windy. There are no standout days here. The best looking session of the whole run is probably Monday the 7th of September morning – that offshore wind with chest-high south swell – but even then, the wave comment says it’s poor. We just don’t get that clean, glassy window we’re after.
In short, mate, this is a blank run. For Red Strand, that’s not unusual when the weather patterns don’t line up. Sometimes you just gotta wait for the next system. Forecasts can change, but right now, there ain’t a single session I’d race you to the car for.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed night, min 15°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Thu night, light winds from the SW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | NW 9 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 42 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 30 | 25 | 107 | 83 | 85 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 71 | 41 | 41 | 37 | 35 | 22 | 20 | 51 | 161 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 8:01PM3.43m | 8:19AM3.39m | 8:40PM3.32m | 9:00AM3.27m | 9:23PM3.15m | 9:46AM3.09m | 10:13PM2.94m | 10:41AM2.89m | 11:15PM2.73m | 11:51AM2.73m | 00:34AM2.61m | 1:17PM2.69m | 2:02AM2.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:55PM0.21m | 2:13AM0.26m | 2:31PM0.29m | 2:50AM0.38m | 3:12PM0.44m | 3:32AM0.55m | 4:00PM0.62m | 4:26AM0.74m | 5:04PM0.81m | 5:38AM0.91m | 6:30PM0.93m | 7:11AM0.96m | 8:03PM0.89m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | |  | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:45 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:12 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 5 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 6 | SSW 14 | SW 5 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 28 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 30 | 25 | 50 | 47 | 43 | 13 | 82 | 82 | 20 | 41 | 10 | 37 | 35 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 161 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | S 18 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SW 9 | SW 9 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 15 | S 5 | SSW 14 | SW 7 | WSW 7 | W 9 | WSW 8 | W 8 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 42 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 82 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 5 | 41 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 10 | W 9 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 9 | — | S 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | NW 9 | — | — | W 8 |
| kJ | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 22 | — | — | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 2 | SW 6 | SSW 3 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | W 3 | WSW 3 | — | — | S 3 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 107 | 83 | 85 | 46 | 52 | 28 | 3 | 8 | — | — | 2 | 13 | 20 | 51 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 467 | 294 | 111 | 122 | 111 | 93 | 297 | 113 | 111 | 304 | 491 | 334 | 285 | 467 | 7 | 93 | 103 | 111 | 288 | 113 | 285 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cork | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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