Dipper › Co. Donegal

Ballyhiernan, Fanad

Excellent Quality 2025 Green Coast faces N

🌊 Dip🏄 Surf
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Surf score now
84
Grand · overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s
Waves
1.6 m
10 s period from WNW · model cell 1.5 km out
Sea
14.9°
Fresh. M2 buoy, Irish Sea east of Dublin, 245 km away.
Tide
3.3 m
Falling. Low at 17:55.
Wind
16 km/h
Gentle breeze, WSW, cross, gusts 31
Daylight
07:36
Sunrise. Sunset 19:03. Air 14°C.

Best surf each day

Daylight hours, preferring high tide
Today
13:00
Grand 84/100
overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind · 1.6 m · 16 km/h
▼ 04:50 ▲ 11:20 ▼ 17:55
Sun, 4 Oct
13:00
Grand 98/100
overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind · 2.2 m · 27 km/h
▲ 00:35 ▼ 06:05 ▲ 13:20 ▼ 20:00
Mon, 5 Oct
15:00
Grand 81/100
overhead 2.3 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind · 2.3 m · 27 km/h
▲ 02:20 ▼ 08:00 ▲ 15:00 ▼ 21:40
Tue, 6 Oct
16:00
Grand 81/100
overhead 1.7 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind · 1.7 m · 23 km/h
▲ 03:35 ▼ 09:25 ▲ 16:05 ▼ 22:35
Wed, 7 Oct
13:00
Decent 69/100
overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind · 2.2 m · 28 km/h
▲ 04:40 ▼ 10:25 ▲ 16:55 ▼ 23:15
Thu, 8 Oct
13:00
Grand 85/100
overhead 1.8 m, period 11 s, offshore wind · 1.8 m · 19 km/h
▲ 05:20 ▼ 11:10 ▲ 17:40 ▼ 23:55
Fri, 9 Oct
13:00
Grim 0/100
no wave data here · 38 km/h
▲ 05:55 ▼ 11:45 ▲ 18:05

Week at a glance

Tap or drag to pick an hour. Everything below follows.
Sat 13:0084 · Grandoverhead 1.6 m · period 10 s
Sat 3Sun 4Mon 5Tue 6Wed 7Thu 8Fri 90003060912151821Sat 05:00 · 80 Grand · nightSat 06:00 · 83 Grand · nightSat 07:00 · 86 Grand · nightSat 08:00 · 89 GrandSat 09:00 · 92 GrandSat 10:00 · 95 GrandSat 11:00 · 88 GrandSat 12:00 · 79 DecentSat 13:00 · 84 GrandSat 14:00 · 81 GrandSat 15:00 · 78 DecentSat 16:00 · 75 DecentSat 17:00 · 82 GrandSat 18:00 · 79 DecentSat 19:00 · 82 GrandSat 20:00 · 85 Grand · nightSat 21:00 · 88 Grand · nightSat 22:00 · 91 Grand · nightSat 23:00 · 94 Grand · nightSun 00:00 · 97 Grand · nightSun 01:00 · 97 Grand · nightSun 02:00 · 94 Grand · nightSun 03:00 · 90 Grand · nightSun 04:00 · 87 Grand · nightSun 05:00 · 83 Grand · nightSun 06:00 · 79 Decent · nightSun 07:00 · 82 Grand · nightSun 08:00 · 84 GrandSun 09:00 · 87 GrandSun 10:00 · 90 GrandSun 11:00 · 93 GrandSun 12:00 · 95 GrandSun 13:00 · 98 GrandSun 14:00 · 79 DecentSun 15:00 · 94 GrandSun 16:00 · 91 GrandSun 17:00 · 88 GrandSun 18:00 · 85 GrandSun 19:00 · 82 GrandSun 20:00 · 79 Decent · nightSun 21:00 · 82 Grand · nightSun 22:00 · 85 Grand · nightSun 23:00 · 70 Decent · nightMon 00:00 · 74 Decent · nightMon 01:00 · 47 Fresh · nightMon 02:00 · 38 Blowy · nightMon 03:00 · 44 Blowy · nightMon 04:00 · 28 Blowy · nightMon 05:00 · 42 Blowy · nightMon 06:00 · 38 Blowy · nightMon 07:00 · 35 Blowy · nightMon 08:00 · 31 BlowyMon 09:00 · 34 BlowyMon 10:00 · 67 DecentMon 11:00 · 70 DecentMon 12:00 · 72 DecentMon 13:00 · 75 DecentMon 14:00 · 78 DecentMon 15:00 · 81 GrandMon 16:00 · 78 DecentMon 17:00 · 75 DecentMon 18:00 · 78 DecentMon 19:00 · 75 DecentMon 20:00 · 42 Blowy · nightMon 21:00 · 39 Blowy · nightMon 22:00 · 38 Blowy · nightMon 23:00 · 42 Blowy · nightTue 00:00 · 45 Fresh · nightTue 01:00 · 78 Decent · nightTue 02:00 · 82 Grand · nightTue 03:00 · 85 Grand · nightTue 04:00 · 86 Grand · nightTue 05:00 · 82 Grand · nightTue 06:00 · 81 Grand · nightTue 07:00 · 77 Decent · nightTue 10:00 · 55 FreshTue 13:00 · 72 DecentTue 16:00 · 81 GrandTue 19:00 · 72 DecentTue 22:00 · 63 Decent · nightWed 01:00 · 69 Decent · nightWed 04:00 · 79 Decent · nightWed 07:00 · 73 Decent · nightWed 10:00 · 62 DecentWed 13:00 · 69 DecentWed 16:00 · 53 FreshWed 19:00 · 66 DecentWed 22:00 · 27 Grim · nightThu 01:00 · 59 Fresh · nightThu 04:00 · 69 Decent · nightThu 07:00 · 81 Grand · nightThu 10:00 · 83 GrandThu 13:00 · 85 GrandThu 19:00 · 85 GrandFri 01:00 · 33 Blowy · nightFri 07:00 · 0 Grim · nightFri 13:00 · 0 GrimFri 19:00 · 0 Grim

Sat, 3 Oct, 13:00

84 Grand
  • overhead 1.6 m
  • period 10 s
  • cross-shore wind
  • high-ish tide
  • cross wind
NESWsunrisesunset1.6 m16 km/h
faces 353° N · wind cross
Waves
1.6 m @ 10 s from WNW
Wind
16 km/h WSW · gusts 31
Tide
3.3 m · upper half
Air
14°C · dry

Meteogram

Score, waves, wind (green offshore, amber cross, red onshore), rain and air, tide

Hour by hour

Next 48 hours
TimeSurfWavesPeriodFromWindGustTideRainAirWhy
Today
13:0084 Grand1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW16 km/h WSW313.3 m dry14°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind
14:0081 Grand1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW18 km/h WSW303.0 m dry14°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind
15:0078 Decent1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW15 km/h WSW292.5 m dry15°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind
16:0075 Decent1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW16 km/h SW282.0 m dry15°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind
17:0082 Grand1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW15 km/h SW271.7 m ▼dry15°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
18:0079 Decent1.6 m (0.8 swell)10 sWNW13 km/h SSW251.6 m ▼dry14°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
19:0082 Grand1.6 m (0.9 swell)10 sWNW12 km/h S211.6 m ▼dry13°overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
20:0085 Grand1.7 m (0.9 swell)10 sWNW13 km/h S201.9 m dry12°overhead 1.7 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
21:0088 Grand1.7 m (1.0 swell)10 sNW14 km/h S222.2 m dry12°overhead 1.7 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
22:0091 Grand1.8 m (1.1 swell)10 sNW15 km/h S242.6 m dry11°overhead 1.8 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
23:0094 Grand1.8 m (1.1 swell)10 sNW18 km/h S282.9 m dry11°overhead 1.8 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
Sunday, 4 October
00:0097 Grand1.9 m (1.2 swell)10 sNW19 km/h S313.1 m ▲dry11°overhead 1.9 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
01:0097 Grand1.9 m (1.2 swell)10 sNW21 km/h S343.1 m ▲dry11°overhead 1.9 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
02:0094 Grand1.9 m (1.2 swell)10 sNW23 km/h S373.0 m dry12°overhead 1.9 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
03:0090 Grand2.0 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW21 km/h S402.6 m dry12°overhead 2.0 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
04:0087 Grand2.0 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW23 km/h S422.2 m dry13°overhead 2.0 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
05:0083 Grand2.0 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW26 km/h SSW421.8 m dry13°overhead 2.0 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
06:0079 Decent2.1 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW26 km/h S421.6 m ▼dry14°overhead 2.1 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
07:0082 Grand2.1 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW22 km/h S411.7 m ▼dry13°overhead 2.1 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
08:0084 Grand2.1 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW22 km/h S401.9 m dry13°overhead 2.1 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
09:0087 Grand2.1 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW26 km/h SSW402.2 m dry15°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
10:0090 Grand2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SW412.5 m 0.1 mm16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
11:0093 Grand2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW412.9 m dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
12:0095 Grand2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SSW423.2 m ▲dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
13:0098 Grand2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW423.3 m ▲0.1 mm16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
14:0079 Decent2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW32 km/h SSW443.3 m ▲dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, strong offshore
15:0094 Grand2.2 m (1.3 swell)10 sNW30 km/h SW453.1 m dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
16:0091 Grand2.2 m (1.4 swell)10 sNW30 km/h SW462.8 m 0.1 mm16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
17:0088 Grand2.2 m (1.4 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW452.4 m dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
18:0085 Grand2.2 m (1.4 swell)10 sNW26 km/h SSW442.0 m dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
19:0082 Grand2.2 m (1.4 swell)10 sNW25 km/h SSW431.7 m ▼dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
20:0079 Decent2.2 m (1.5 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW431.6 m ▼dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
21:0082 Grand2.2 m (1.5 swell)11 sNW27 km/h SSW441.7 m ▼dry16°overhead 2.2 m, period 11 s, offshore wind
22:0085 Grand2.3 m (1.6 swell)11 sNW26 km/h SSW461.9 m dry16°overhead 2.3 m, period 11 s, offshore wind
23:0070 Decent2.3 m (1.7 swell)11 sNW30 km/h SW482.2 m dry16°overhead 2.3 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
Monday, 5 October
00:0074 Decent2.4 m (1.8 swell)11 sNW30 km/h SW512.6 m dry16°overhead 2.4 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
01:0047 Fresh2.5 m (1.9 swell)11 sNW29 km/h SW522.9 m dry16°big 2.5 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
02:0038 Blowy2.6 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW32 km/h SW543.0 m ▲dry16°big 2.6 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
03:0044 Blowy2.7 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW27 km/h SW553.0 m ▲dry16°big 2.7 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
04:0028 Blowy2.7 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW40 km/h SW552.8 m dry15°big 2.7 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
05:0042 Blowy2.7 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW32 km/h SW542.4 m dry15°big 2.7 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
06:0038 Blowy2.6 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW31 km/h SW522.0 m dry15°big 2.6 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
07:0035 Blowy2.6 m (2.0 swell)11 sNW32 km/h WSW511.8 m ▼dry15°big 2.6 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
08:0031 Blowy2.6 m (1.9 swell)11 sNW30 km/h WSW461.7 m ▼dry15°big 2.6 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
09:0034 Blowy2.5 m (1.8 swell)11 sNW30 km/h WSW451.7 m ▼0.1 mm15°big 2.5 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
10:0067 Decent2.5 m (1.8 swell)11 sNW30 km/h WSW441.9 m 0.1 mm15°overhead 2.5 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
11:0070 Decent2.4 m (1.7 swell)11 sNW30 km/h WSW442.3 m 0.1 mm15°overhead 2.4 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind
12:0072 Decent2.4 m (1.7 swell)11 sNW30 km/h WSW432.7 m 0.1 mm15°overhead 2.4 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind

Where the energy comes from

Wave energy (H²·T) this week by direction, against the swell window

Swell arriving between W and E reaches this spot; anything else is blocked by land and counts for much less.

Tide today

Buncrana, 20 km away · metres above chart datum
04:5011:2017:55
Low 04:50 · 1.4 mHigh 11:20 · 3.4 mLow 17:55 · 1.6 m

The spot

Faces
353° N
Swell window
W 280° → E 80°
Exposure
Open coast · model cell 1.5 km out
Water
Excellent Quality

Facing and swell window are derived from the wave model's coastline around the spot, not surveyed. Know better? Tell us.

Water quality

Recent grades: 2024 Excellent, 2023 Excellent, 2022 Excellent. The EPA flags a short-term pollution risk here after heavy rain.

Beach profile (PDF) · beaches.ie

On the ground

No lifeguard listedNo toiletsParkingDogs on lead

As listed by Donegal County Council. Open in Maps.

Sauna after?

The Hot Barrel Sauna · Portsalon Pier (also Kerrykeel Pier) · 7 km · mobile

itSaunatrailer · The Wee Beach, Marble Hill, Dunfanaghy · 15 km · fixed

Cocoon Sauna · Portnablagh Pier, Dunfanaghy · 16 km · fixed

The Swilly Sauna · Main Beach car park, Rathmullan · 20 km · mobile

Ballyhiernan beach is a north facing, long sandy beach consisting of sandy dunes. There are three bays on the beach Carrickachurdin Bay, Kinlackagh Bay and Trabane Bay. Ballyhiernan Beach has a wide variety of wildlife including a vast variety of birds and two notable animal species have been spotted on the site, the Common Frog and Irish Hare. Activities include swimming, kayaking, boating, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, power boating, jet skiing, diving and other land based activities on the beach.

Put Ballyhiernan, Fanad in your calendar

Dipper Plus drops the best surf hour here into your phone every day, with waves, sea temperature, tide and a 45-minute nudge. Up to three spots.

Set up Dipper Plus
🏄 Ballyhiernan, Fanad surf · Grand · sea 15° · 1.6 mSat, 3 Oct 12:30–13:30 · overhead 1.6 m, period 10 s, cross-shore wind
🏄 Ballyhiernan, Fanad surf · Grand · sea 15° · 2.2 mSun, 4 Oct 12:30–13:30 · overhead 2.2 m, period 10 s, offshore wind
🏄 Ballyhiernan, Fanad surf · Grand · sea 15° · 2.3 mMon, 5 Oct 14:30–15:30 · overhead 2.3 m, period 11 s, cross-shore wind

Nearby spots

Kinny Lough

2 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Magheradromman Lough

2 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Kindrum Lough

2 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Shannagh Lough

2 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Score is Dipper's own blend. It rates comfort, not safety. Forecast: Met Éireann. Waves: Marine Institute Irish Shelf wave model.