Donabate / Leinster / Ireland

It can be difficult to find decent conditions for surfing off the east coast of Ireland, and while there are still many places to look, the more established places are always the best in this region. Wind and kite surfers will have more luck in this area, and the community of watersports is far more skewed in that direction. Donabate is one of the major spots in the area, and being close to Dublin allows for a varied time on and off the sea.

Primarily sandy beaches are in evidence here, with Donabate being on the northern end of the bay. There are a good few rocks around the tower area of the mile-long beach, but these are reasonably easy to identify, so can be avoided with a little common sense.

Donabate is primarily for the novice, and stands up relatively well regardless of the time of year, wind direction or wave direction. A mid tide is recommended for most activities, and the ride length is usually reasonably short. There is little of interest here for the professional, but for fun, it has little to complain about.

Being so close to Dublin makes Donabate a great place to wave sail provided you enjoy the reasonably staid conditions. There is a mass of accommodation to enjoy for all budgets, and some specialist watersporting facilities stretched along the bays in the local area.

General tourism safety should be followed here wherever possible. There are a number of beach thieves specifically targeting surfers, windsurfers and kite surfers in the high season. Other than that, a small outcrop of rocks close to the tower in Donabate should be avoided by all.