Howe's Strand
Safety warning
- No lifeguard service
- No lifeguard cover here. It is a small, secluded strand — help is not close at hand. — Local beach guidance
- Not a designated bathing water
- Not monitored under the Bathing Water Directive, so there is no classification, no sampling and no pollution alerting for it. — EPA bathing water register
Not monitored
Howe's Strand is not a designated bathing water, so no water-quality classification, sampling or pollution alerting applies and we cannot tell you anything about the water today. There is no lifeguard service. Assess conditions yourself before entering the water.
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Sea conditions
Water temperature
14.5°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
1.6 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Going out
- Low water around UTC
- High water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
About this spot
Howe's Strand is a small secluded beach between Kinsale and Kilbrittain in west Cork, about 850 m long and overlooked by the ruins of a coastguard station burnt in 1920. Parking is limited. It is a clothing-optional beach, and dogs are welcome year-round.
Common questions
- Can you swim at Howe's Strand right now?
- Howe's Strand is currently marked "Not monitored". Howe's Strand is not a designated bathing water, so no water-quality classification, sampling or pollution alerting applies and we cannot tell you anything about the water today. There is no lifeguard service. Assess conditions yourself before entering the water. Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
Get told when this changes
We’ll email you when the swim status at Howe's Strand moves — a pollution alert opening, or one lifting. Not a newsletter: only this spot, only when it changes, at most once every 12 hours.
Your address is used for these alerts and nothing else, is never shared, and is deleted the moment you unsubscribe — a link is in every email.
Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Bandon — about 14 km away.