Oileán Chléire
Not monitored
This spot isn't an officially designated bathing water, so it has no annual classification and no pollution-alert monitoring. Past sample results are shown below, but none is recent. Assess conditions yourself before entering.
Checked against the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
14.2°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
2.0 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
Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear Island) has an enviable location – right on the cusp of the continental shelf. The entrance to Roaringwater Bay is one of the leading dolphin, whale, leatherback turtles, sunfish, and shark sighting locations in Europe. The island has Ireland’s only manned bird observatory, which maintains a daily species log since 1959. Located two minutes’ walk from the ferry beach, the observatory is manned by a resident warden (March to November), and even offers birdwatchers hostel-style accommodation. There are various beaches and piers on Cape Clear suitable for swimming, one such area is Trá Coinlín (Coinlín Beach), South Harbour.
This spot’s record
Oileán Chléire is in Cork, about 37 km from Castletownbere. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 355 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 14 July 2025. A classification is calculated from percentiles across four seasons, so no single reading decides how this water is rated.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug | 309 | 1000 | Poor |
| 14 Jul | 355 | 120 | Good |
| 16 Jun | 10 | 2 | Excellent |
| 26 May | 63 | 3 | Excellent |
| 2 Sept | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 6 Aug | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Facilities & access
- Lifeguard
- No
- Parking
- No
- Toilets
- No
- Accessible entry
- No
- Dogs
- Yes
- Public transport
- No
Official water quality
This spot has no official annual classification.
Common questions
- Can you swim at Oileán Chléire right now?
- Oileán Chléire is currently marked "Not monitored". This spot isn't an officially designated bathing water, so it has no annual classification and no pollution-alert monitoring. Past sample results are shown below, but none is recent. Assess conditions yourself before entering. This reflects the latest data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- Is there a lifeguard at Oileán Chléire?
- No lifeguard cover is listed for Oileán Chléire. Never swim alone at an unguarded spot.
This spot is also in
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