Dipper › Co. Donegal

Downings

Excellent Quality 2025 Blue Flag faces NNW

🌊 Dip🏄 Surf
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Dip score now
66
Decent · moderate breeze, dry
Waves
1.1 m
11 s period from NW · model cell 3.6 km out
Sea
15.2°
Grand. M2 buoy, Irish Sea east of Dublin, 246 km away.
Tide
1.2 m
Rising. High at 22:40.
Wind
22 km/h
Moderate breeze, WSW, cross, gusts 45
Daylight
07:35
Sunrise. Sunset 19:06. Air 13°C.

Best dip each day

Daylight hours
Today
17:00
Decent 66/100
moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m · 1.1 m · 23 km/h
▼ 03:55 ▲ 10:05 ▼ 16:30 ▲ 22:40
Sat, 3 Oct
18:00
Grand 82/100
light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m · 0.8 m · 12 km/h
▼ 04:55 ▲ 11:05 ▼ 17:40 ▲ 23:50
Sun, 4 Oct
08:00
Decent 66/100
moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m · 1.1 m · 26 km/h
▼ 06:00 ▲ 12:30 ▼ 19:20
Mon, 5 Oct
08:00
Decent 66/100
moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.3 m · 1.3 m · 28 km/h
▲ 01:25 ▼ 07:30 ▲ 14:05 ▼ 20:45
Tue, 6 Oct
19:00
Decent 71/100
light winds, showers possible, waves 0.8 m · 0.8 m · 10 km/h
▲ 03:00 ▼ 09:10 ▲ 15:30 ▼ 22:00
Wed, 7 Oct
10:00
Decent 73/100
gentle breeze, rain, small waves 0.8 m · 0.8 m · 17 km/h
▲ 04:05 ▼ 10:10 ▲ 16:30 ▼ 22:45
Thu, 8 Oct
13:00
Grand 97/100
light winds, dry · 8 km/h
▲ 05:00 ▼ 11:05 ▲ 17:15 ▼ 23:40

Week at a glance

Tap or drag to pick an hour. Everything below follows.
Fri 18:0066 · Decentmoderate breeze · dry
Fri 2Sat 3Sun 4Mon 5Tue 6Wed 7Thu 80003060912151821Fri 16:00 · 66 DecentFri 17:00 · 66 DecentFri 18:00 · 66 DecentFri 19:00 · 63 DecentFri 20:00 · 63 Decent · nightFri 21:00 · 63 Decent · nightFri 22:00 · 63 Decent · nightFri 23:00 · 63 Decent · nightSat 00:00 · 63 Decent · nightSat 01:00 · 73 Decent · nightSat 02:00 · 73 Decent · nightSat 03:00 · 79 Decent · nightSat 04:00 · 74 Decent · nightSat 05:00 · 74 Decent · nightSat 06:00 · 79 Decent · nightSat 07:00 · 73 Decent · nightSat 08:00 · 73 DecentSat 09:00 · 73 DecentSat 10:00 · 73 DecentSat 11:00 · 73 DecentSat 12:00 · 76 DecentSat 13:00 · 76 DecentSat 14:00 · 76 DecentSat 15:00 · 76 DecentSat 16:00 · 76 DecentSat 17:00 · 76 DecentSat 18:00 · 82 GrandSat 19:00 · 82 GrandSat 20:00 · 79 Decent · nightSat 21:00 · 79 Decent · nightSat 22:00 · 73 Decent · nightSat 23:00 · 73 Decent · nightSun 00:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 01:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 02:00 · 69 Decent · nightSun 03:00 · 69 Decent · nightSun 04:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 05:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 06:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 07:00 · 72 Decent · nightSun 08:00 · 66 DecentSun 09:00 · 66 DecentSun 10:00 · 66 DecentSun 11:00 · 66 DecentSun 12:00 · 66 DecentSun 13:00 · 66 DecentSun 14:00 · 66 DecentSun 15:00 · 58 FreshSun 16:00 · 66 DecentSun 17:00 · 66 DecentSun 18:00 · 66 DecentSun 19:00 · 66 DecentSun 20:00 · 66 Decent · nightSun 21:00 · 66 Decent · nightSun 22:00 · 66 Decent · nightSun 23:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 00:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 01:00 · 58 Fresh · nightMon 02:00 · 66 Decent · nightMon 03:00 · 66 Decent · nightMon 04:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 05:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 06:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 07:00 · 50 Fresh · nightMon 08:00 · 66 DecentMon 09:00 · 66 DecentMon 10:00 · 66 DecentMon 11:00 · 66 DecentMon 12:00 · 66 DecentMon 13:00 · 50 FreshMon 14:00 · 50 FreshMon 15:00 · 42 BlowyMon 16:00 · 58 FreshMon 17:00 · 58 FreshMon 18:00 · 58 FreshMon 19:00 · 58 FreshMon 22:00 · 64 Decent · nightTue 01:00 · 69 Decent · nightTue 04:00 · 64 Decent · nightTue 07:00 · 67 Decent · nightTue 10:00 · 65 DecentTue 13:00 · 65 DecentTue 16:00 · 65 DecentTue 19:00 · 71 DecentTue 22:00 · 83 Grand · nightWed 01:00 · 83 Grand · nightWed 04:00 · 72 Decent · nightWed 07:00 · 69 Decent · nightWed 10:00 · 73 DecentWed 13:00 · 51 FreshWed 16:00 · 52 FreshWed 19:00 · 55 FreshWed 22:00 · 49 Fresh · nightThu 01:00 · 49 Fresh · nightThu 07:00 · 67 Decent · nightThu 13:00 · 97 GrandThu 19:00 · 79 Decent

Fri, 2 Oct, 18:00

66 Decent
  • moderate breeze
  • dry
  • waves 1.1 m
  • sunny
  • cross wind
NESWsunrisesunset1.1 m22 km/h
faces 340° NNW · wind cross
Waves
1.1 m @ 11 s from NW
Wind
22 km/h WSW · gusts 45
Tide
1.4 m · lower half
Air
13°C · dry

Meteogram

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

Hour by hour

Next 48 hours
TimeDipWavesPeriodFromWindGustTideRainAirWhy
Today
17:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.8 swell)11 sNW23 km/h WSW451.1 m ▼dry14°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
18:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.8 swell)11 sNW22 km/h WSW451.4 m dry13°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
19:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.8 swell)11 sNW27 km/h WSW411.9 m dry13°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
20:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.8 swell)11 sNW22 km/h WSW352.5 m dry12°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
21:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW23 km/h WSW323.0 m dry12°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
22:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW28 km/h W333.4 m ▲dry12°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
23:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW28 km/h W353.5 m ▲dry12°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
Saturday, 3 October
00:0063 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW24 km/h W343.3 m dry12°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
01:0073 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW17 km/h WSW312.8 m dry11°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
02:0073 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)11 sNW12 km/h WSW282.3 m dry11°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
03:0079 Decent1.1 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW10 km/h SW251.7 m dry10°light winds, dry, waves 1.1 m
04:0074 Decent1.1 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW10 km/h SSW231.3 m ▼dry10°light winds, dry, waves 1.1 m
05:0074 Decent1.1 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW11 km/h SSW241.2 m ▼dry10°light winds, dry, waves 1.0 m
06:0079 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW11 km/h SW251.4 m ▼dry10°light winds, dry, waves 1.0 m
07:0073 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW13 km/h WSW271.8 m dry11°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.0 m
08:0073 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW12 km/h WSW282.3 m dry12°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.0 m
09:0073 Decent1.0 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW15 km/h SW272.9 m dry12°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.0 m
10:0073 Decent1.0 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW18 km/h SW273.4 m ▲dry12°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.0 m
11:0073 Decent0.9 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW13 km/h WSW293.6 m ▲dry13°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
12:0076 Decent0.9 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW18 km/h W303.5 m ▲dry13°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
13:0076 Decent0.9 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW16 km/h W313.2 m dry14°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
14:0076 Decent0.9 m (0.4 swell)10 sNW14 km/h WSW312.8 m dry14°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
15:0076 Decent0.8 m (0.4 swell)10 sNW14 km/h SW322.2 m dry15°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
16:0076 Decent0.8 m (0.4 swell)10 sNW13 km/h SW311.7 m dry15°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.8 m
17:0076 Decent0.8 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW18 km/h SSW311.4 m ▼dry15°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.8 m
18:0082 Grand0.8 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW12 km/h S301.3 m ▼dry14°light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m
19:0082 Grand0.9 m (0.5 swell)10 sNW11 km/h S261.5 m dry13°light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m
20:0079 Decent0.9 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW10 km/h S271.9 m dry13°light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m
21:0079 Decent0.9 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW11 km/h SSW322.3 m dry12°light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m
22:0073 Decent0.9 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW14 km/h S362.8 m dry12°gentle breeze, dry, waves 0.9 m
23:0073 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW17 km/h SSW403.1 m ▲dry13°gentle breeze, dry, waves 1.0 m
Sunday, 4 October
00:0072 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW20 km/h SSW433.2 m ▲dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
01:0072 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW453.1 m ▲dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
02:0069 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SSW462.8 m dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
03:0069 Decent1.0 m (0.6 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW462.4 m dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
04:0072 Decent1.0 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW27 km/h S461.9 m dry13°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
05:0072 Decent1.0 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW23 km/h S461.6 m ▼dry14°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
06:0072 Decent1.0 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW21 km/h SSW461.4 m ▼dry14°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
07:0072 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW23 km/h SSW461.5 m ▼dry15°moderate breeze, offshore, flatter inshore, dry
08:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW26 km/h SW461.8 m 0.1 mm15°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
09:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW25 km/h SW462.2 m dry15°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
10:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW25 km/h SW462.7 m dry16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
11:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW24 km/h SW483.1 m dry16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
12:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW27 km/h SSW483.4 m ▲dry16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
13:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SW493.4 m ▲dry16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
14:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SW483.3 m 0.1 mm16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
15:0058 Fresh1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW28 km/h SW482.9 m 0.1 mm16°moderate breeze, showers possible, waves 1.1 m
16:0066 Decent1.1 m (0.7 swell)10 sNW24 km/h SW472.5 m dry16°moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m

Where the energy comes from

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

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

Tide today

Tory Island (modelled), 23 km away · metres above chart datum
03:5510:0516:3022:40
Low 03:55 · 0.9 mHigh 10:05 · 3.8 mLow 16:30 · 1.1 mHigh 22:40 · 3.5 m

The spot

Faces
340° NNW
Swell window
W 270° → NE 50°
Exposure
Bay · model cell 3.6 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: YesToiletsParkingYesAccessible: YesDogs on lead (Dogs are not permitted in the Blue Flag Area of the beach from 12 pm to 7 pm (1st June to 15th September). Dogs are permitted on leads outside the Blue Flag Area at all times.)

As listed by Donegal County Council. Open in Maps.

Sauna after?

itSaunatrailer · The Wee Beach, Marble Hill, Dunfanaghy · 4 km · fixed

Cocoon Sauna · Portnablagh Pier, Dunfanaghy · 6 km · fixed

The Hot Barrel Sauna · Portsalon Pier (also Kerrykeel Pier) · 14 km · mobile

The Swilly Sauna · Main Beach car park, Rathmullan · 23 km · mobile

Downings beach consists of a sandy beach in Sheephaven Bay that is confined by Downings pier to the west and a small headland called Maslack to the South. There is a sea cave in the Maslack headland that is exposed at low tide. The Peninsula comprises an excellent variety of coastal habitats including high rock cliffs, offshore islands, sand dunes, salt marshes, a large intertidal bay and rocky shingle and sandy beaches. These habitats support a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation. Activities at Downings beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing, sailing, surfing, power boating, jet skiing (outside the designated area), diving and other land based activities on the beach. The designated bathing area is approx. 0.273km2 and the extent along the water is approximately 687m. There is a very shallow gradient off Downings Beach with the water depth reaching 1m approx. 50m from the water line and gradually getting deeper.

Put Downings 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
🌊 Downings dip · Decent · sea 15° · 1.1 mFri, 2 Oct 16:30–17:30 · moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m
🌊 Downings dip · Grand · sea 15° · 0.8 mSat, 3 Oct 17:30–18:30 · light winds, dry, waves 0.9 m
🌊 Downings dip · Decent · sea 15° · 1.1 mSun, 4 Oct 07:30–08:30 · moderate breeze, dry, waves 1.1 m

Nearby spots

Rosapenna Lake

1 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Marble Hill

4 km · Co. Donegal · Excellent Quality

Lough Solomon

5 km · Co. Donegal · Not classified

Lough Naposte

5 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.