Dipper › Co. Dublin

Donabate, Balcarrick Beach

Excellent Quality 2025 Blue Flag Green Coast faces E

🌊 Dip🏄 Surf
Any tidePrefer highPrefer low
Dip score now
74
Decent · gentle breeze, dry
Waves
0.7 m
5 s period from SE · model cell 2.4 km out
Sea
15.2°
Grand. M2 buoy, Irish Sea east of Dublin, 45 km away.
Tide
2.6 m
Falling, nearly low. Low at 09:20.
Wind
15 km/h
Gentle breeze, S, cross, gusts 26
Daylight
07:27
Sunrise. Sunset 19:00. Air 14°C.

Best dip each day

Daylight hours, preferring high tide
Today
07:00
Decent 71/100
gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m · 0.7 m · 15 km/h
▲ 03:35 ▼ 09:20 ▲ 16:05 ▼ 21:55
Sat, 3 Oct
18:00
Grand 96/100
light winds, dry, calm sea · 0.2 m · 6 km/h
▲ 04:40 ▼ 10:20 ▲ 17:10 ▼ 23:10
Sun, 4 Oct
18:00
Grand 92/100
gentle breeze, dry, calm sea · 0.3 m · 19 km/h
▲ 05:55 ▼ 11:40 ▲ 18:30
Mon, 5 Oct
19:00
Grand 96/100
light winds, dry, calm sea · 0.3 m · 10 km/h
▼ 00:45 ▲ 07:30 ▼ 13:15 ▲ 19:55
Tue, 6 Oct
19:00
Grand 85/100
gentle breeze, dry, calm sea · 0.2 m · 15 km/h
▼ 02:10 ▲ 08:45 ▼ 14:30 ▲ 21:05
Wed, 7 Oct
10:00
Grand 90/100
gentle breeze, dry, high tide · 15 km/h
▼ 03:15 ▲ 09:50 ▼ 15:30 ▲ 22:00
Thu, 8 Oct
13:00
Grand 80/100
gentle breeze, dry · 14 km/h
▼ 04:05 ▲ 10:45 ▼ 16:20 ▲ 22:55

Week at a glance

Tap or drag to pick an hour. Everything below follows.
Fri 07:0071 · Decentgentle breeze · dry
Fri 2Sat 3Sun 4Mon 5Tue 6Wed 7Thu 80003060912151821Fri 01:00 · 77 Decent · nightFri 02:00 · 87 Grand · nightFri 03:00 · 92 Grand · nightFri 04:00 · 92 Grand · nightFri 05:00 · 87 Grand · nightFri 06:00 · 82 Grand · nightFri 07:00 · 71 DecentFri 08:00 · 66 DecentFri 09:00 · 62 DecentFri 10:00 · 53 FreshFri 11:00 · 67 DecentFri 12:00 · 61 FreshFri 13:00 · 65 DecentFri 14:00 · 41 BlowyFri 15:00 · 38 BlowyFri 16:00 · 58 FreshFri 17:00 · 32 BlowyFri 18:00 · 59 FreshFri 19:00 · 50 FreshFri 20:00 · 53 Fresh · nightFri 21:00 · 60 Fresh · nightFri 22:00 · 53 Fresh · nightFri 23:00 · 57 Fresh · nightSat 00:00 · 62 Decent · nightSat 01:00 · 65 Decent · nightSat 02:00 · 75 Decent · nightSat 03:00 · 85 Grand · nightSat 04:00 · 89 Grand · nightSat 05:00 · 90 Grand · nightSat 06:00 · 85 Grand · nightSat 07:00 · 80 GrandSat 08:00 · 76 DecentSat 09:00 · 71 DecentSat 10:00 · 71 DecentSat 11:00 · 75 DecentSat 12:00 · 79 DecentSat 13:00 · 83 GrandSat 14:00 · 87 GrandSat 15:00 · 85 GrandSat 16:00 · 89 GrandSat 17:00 · 93 GrandSat 18:00 · 96 GrandSat 19:00 · 91 GrandSat 20:00 · 84 Grand · nightSat 21:00 · 79 Decent · nightSat 22:00 · 74 Decent · nightSat 23:00 · 70 Decent · nightSun 00:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 01:00 · 77 Decent · nightSun 02:00 · 81 Grand · nightSun 03:00 · 85 Grand · nightSun 04:00 · 92 Grand · nightSun 05:00 · 90 Grand · nightSun 06:00 · 94 Grand · nightSun 07:00 · 89 Grand · nightSun 08:00 · 84 GrandSun 09:00 · 79 DecentSun 10:00 · 70 DecentSun 11:00 · 69 DecentSun 12:00 · 67 DecentSun 13:00 · 67 DecentSun 14:00 · 72 DecentSun 15:00 · 76 DecentSun 16:00 · 84 GrandSun 17:00 · 88 GrandSun 18:00 · 92 GrandSun 19:00 · 92 GrandSun 20:00 · 87 Grand · nightSun 21:00 · 83 Grand · nightSun 22:00 · 78 Decent · nightSun 23:00 · 74 Decent · nightMon 00:00 · 65 Decent · nightMon 01:00 · 63 Decent · nightMon 02:00 · 71 Decent · nightMon 03:00 · 71 Decent · nightMon 04:00 · 79 Decent · nightMon 05:00 · 80 Grand · nightMon 06:00 · 84 Grand · nightMon 07:00 · 88 Grand · nightMon 10:00 · 78 DecentMon 13:00 · 67 DecentMon 16:00 · 74 DecentMon 19:00 · 96 GrandMon 22:00 · 91 Grand · nightTue 01:00 · 71 Decent · nightTue 04:00 · 80 Grand · nightTue 07:00 · 87 Grand · nightTue 10:00 · 80 GrandTue 13:00 · 65 DecentTue 16:00 · 72 DecentTue 19:00 · 85 GrandTue 22:00 · 87 Grand · nightWed 01:00 · 68 Decent · nightWed 04:00 · 61 Fresh · nightWed 07:00 · 74 Decent · nightWed 10:00 · 90 GrandWed 13:00 · 75 DecentWed 19:00 · 70 DecentThu 01:00 · 72 Decent · nightThu 07:00 · 70 Decent · nightThu 13:00 · 80 GrandThu 19:00 · 74 Decent

Fri, 2 Oct, 07:00

71 Decent
  • gentle breeze
  • dry
  • small waves 0.7 m
  • cross wind
NESWsunrisesunset0.7 m15 km/h
faces 93° E · wind cross
Waves
0.7 m @ 5 s from SE
Wind
15 km/h S · gusts 26
Tide
2.2 m · lower 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
TimeDipWavesPeriodFromWindGustTideRainAirWhy
Today
06:0082 Grand0.7 m5 sSE12 km/h SSE263.0 m dry13°light winds, dry, small waves 0.7 m
07:0071 Decent0.7 m5 sSE15 km/h S262.2 m dry14°gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
08:0066 Decent0.7 m5 sSE14 km/h S261.5 m dry14°gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
09:0062 Decent0.7 m5 sSE13 km/h SSE281.1 m ▼dry15°gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
10:0053 Fresh0.7 m5 sSE21 km/h SSW351.2 m ▼dry16°moderate breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
11:0067 Decent0.7 m5 sSE19 km/h SSW391.6 m dry17°gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
12:0061 Fresh0.7 m5 sSE25 km/h SSW422.2 m dry18°moderate breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
13:0065 Decent0.8 m6 sSE27 km/h SSW452.9 m dry19°moderate breeze, dry, small waves 0.8 m
14:0041 Blowy0.9 m6 sSE30 km/h SSW483.4 m dry19°fresh breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
15:0038 Blowy1.0 m7 sSE31 km/h SSW503.7 m ▲0.2 mm18°fresh breeze, showers possible, waves 1.0 m
16:0058 Fresh1.1 m8 sSE26 km/h SSW503.9 m ▲0.4 mm17°moderate breeze, showers possible, waves 1.1 m
17:0032 Blowy1.0 m8 sSE31 km/h SSW483.8 m ▲0.6 mm17°fresh breeze, rain, waves 1.0 m
18:0059 Fresh1.0 m8 sSE17 km/h SW433.3 m 0.5 mm15°gentle breeze, showers possible, waves 1.0 m
19:0050 Fresh1.0 m8 sSE22 km/h W342.6 m 0.3 mm15°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, showers possible
20:0053 Fresh0.9 m8 sSE21 km/h WSW291.9 m dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
21:0060 Fresh0.8 m8 sSE23 km/h WSW291.3 m ▼dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
22:0053 Fresh0.7 m8 sSE21 km/h W291.1 m ▼dry12°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
23:0057 Fresh0.6 m6 sSE22 km/h W301.3 m ▼dry12°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
Saturday, 3 October
00:0062 Decent0.6 m6 sSE20 km/h W281.8 m dry10°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
01:0065 Decent0.5 m6 sSE17 km/h W242.4 m dry10°gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.5 m
02:0075 Decent0.5 m6 sSE11 km/h W222.9 m dry9°light winds, dry, small waves 0.4 m
03:0085 Grand0.4 m6 sSE6 km/h WSW193.4 m dry8°light winds, dry, calm sea
04:0089 Grand0.4 m6 sSE7 km/h WSW173.7 m ▲dry8°light winds, dry, calm sea
05:0090 Grand0.3 m6 sSE6 km/h WSW153.8 m ▲dry8°light winds, dry, calm sea
06:0085 Grand0.3 m5 sSE6 km/h W153.5 m dry9°light winds, dry, calm sea
07:0080 Grand0.3 m5 sSE6 km/h W153.0 m dry9°light winds, dry, calm sea
08:0076 Decent0.3 m5 sSE7 km/h WSW152.4 m dry9°light winds, dry, calm sea
09:0071 Decent0.2 m5 sSE6 km/h W161.8 m dry10°light winds, dry, calm sea
10:0071 Decent0.2 m5 sSE7 km/h WSW161.4 m ▼dry11°light winds, dry, calm sea
11:0075 Decent0.2 m4 sSE6 km/h WSW161.5 m ▼dry13°light winds, dry, calm sea
12:0079 Decent0.2 m4 sSE7 km/h WSW171.8 m dry14°light winds, dry, calm sea
13:0083 Grand0.2 m4 sSE6 km/h SW182.3 m dry15°light winds, dry, calm sea
14:0087 Grand0.2 m4 sSE6 km/h S192.8 m dry15°light winds, dry, calm sea
15:0085 Grand0.1 m4 sSE14 km/h SSE213.2 m dry15°gentle breeze, dry, calm sea
16:0089 Grand0.1 m4 sSE14 km/h SSE233.5 m ▲dry15°gentle breeze, dry, calm sea
17:0093 Grand0.2 m4 sSE14 km/h SSE243.7 m ▲dry15°gentle breeze, dry, calm sea
18:0096 Grand0.2 m3 sSE6 km/h S233.7 m ▲dry15°light winds, dry, calm sea
19:0091 Grand0.2 m3 sSE8 km/h SW213.3 m dry14°light winds, dry, calm sea
20:0084 Grand0.2 m3 sSE7 km/h SSW202.7 m dry13°light winds, dry, calm sea
21:0079 Decent0.2 m3 sSE7 km/h S192.1 m dry12°light winds, dry, calm sea
22:0074 Decent0.2 m3 sSE9 km/h S191.6 m ▼dry12°light winds, dry, calm sea
23:0070 Decent0.2 m3 sSE7 km/h SSW191.3 m ▼dry12°light winds, dry, calm sea
Sunday, 4 October
00:0072 Decent0.2 m4 sSE6 km/h S191.4 m ▼dry11°light winds, dry, calm sea
01:0077 Decent0.2 m4 sSE8 km/h SSW211.7 m dry12°light winds, dry, calm sea
02:0081 Grand0.2 m4 sSE10 km/h S302.1 m dry12°light winds, dry, calm sea
03:0085 Grand0.2 m4 sSE12 km/h SSW312.6 m dry13°light winds, dry, calm sea
04:0092 Grand0.3 m4 sSE12 km/h SSW323.1 m dry13°light winds, dry, calm sea
05:0090 Grand0.3 m4 sSE14 km/h SW333.4 m ▲dry14°gentle breeze, dry, calm sea

Where the energy comes from

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

No swell window: this spot is inland or fully sheltered.

Tide today

Howth, 10 km away · metres above chart datum
03:3509:2016:0521:55
High 03:35 · 4.0 mLow 09:20 · 1.1 mHigh 16:05 · 3.9 mLow 21:55 · 1.1 m

The spot

Faces
93° E
Swell window
None (sheltered)
Exposure
Bay · model cell 2.4 km out
Water
Excellent Quality · Blue Flag

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

Lifeguard: 11am to 7pm weekends only in June & full time July & AugustToiletsParkingDogs on lead

As listed by Fingal County Council. Open in Maps.

Sauna after?

The Sea Sauna · Tower Bay Beach, Portrane · 2 km · fixed

Restore Sauna Portmarnock · White Sands Hotel, Coast Road, Portmarnock · 5 km · fixed

The Wood Fired Sauna (Rush) · North Beach, Rush · 6 km · fixed

Mercury Sauna · Portmarnock Beach north car park · 6 km · fixed

Donabate Balcarrick beach is a south-east facing, gently sloping sandy beach consisting of a large sandy dune area.

Put Donabate, Balcarrick Beach in your calendar

Dipper Plus drops the best dip 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
🌊 Donabate, Balcarrick Beach dip · Decent · sea 15° · 0.7 mFri, 2 Oct 06:30–07:30 · gentle breeze, dry, small waves 0.7 m
🌊 Donabate, Balcarrick Beach dip · Grand · sea 15° · 0.2 mSat, 3 Oct 17:30–18:30 · light winds, dry, calm sea
🌊 Donabate, Balcarrick Beach dip · Grand · sea 15° · 0.3 mSun, 4 Oct 17:30–18:30 · gentle breeze, dry, calm sea

Nearby spots

Portrane, the Brook Beach

2 km · Co. Dublin · Good Quality

Rush, South Beach

5 km · Co. Dublin · Good Quality

Portmarnock, Velvet Strand Beach

5 km · Co. Dublin · Excellent Quality

Rush North Beach

6 km · Co. Dublin · Excellent Quality

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