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Claremont Beach

Caution

This spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.

Checked against the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · data last changed 1 month ago.

Sea conditions

Water temperature

14.1°C

Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit

Wave height

0.9 m

Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.

Tide

Coming in

  • High water around UTC
  • Low 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

Claremont Beach, Howth is a sandy, gently sloping north facing beach.

This spot’s record

Claremont Beach is in Dublin, about 13 km from Dublin. Claremont Beach has been rated Sufficient in each of the 4 bathing seasons classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), 2022 through 2025. In the previous bathing season Claremont Beach was under a short-term pollution restriction on 6 days. That is last season's record and not a forecast for today. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 7,701 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 24 August 2026. 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.

Recent bacterial sample results for this bathing water
DateE. coliEnterococciAssessment
7 Sept758Excellent
31 Aug102Excellent
27 Aug517254Poor
24 Aug77011420Poor
10 Aug635Excellent
27 Jul634Excellent

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.

Quality over the last 4 years

  1. Sufficient2022
  2. Sufficient2023
  3. Sufficient2024
  4. Sufficient2025

This water has been rated Sufficient in each of the last 4 years.

Facilities & access

Lifeguard
Yes11am to 7pm weekends only in June & full time July & August
Parking
Yes
Toilets
YesPublic toilets at entrance to beach adjacent to Howth Dart Station.
Accessible entry
YesNo
Dogs
Yes
Public transport
YesDART & Bus Route

Official water quality

Classified Sufficient in 2025.

Claremont Beach is classified as achieving Sufficient Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Claremont Beach had a Sufficient Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health.

Official bathing-water profile

What Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor actually mean

Common questions

Can you swim at Claremont Beach right now?
Claremont Beach is currently marked "Caution". This spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade. This reflects the latest data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
What is the water quality like at Claremont Beach?
the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Claremont Beach as Sufficient in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
Is there a swimming ban or warning at Claremont Beach?
There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Claremont Beach. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
Is there a lifeguard at Claremont Beach?
Yes — Claremont Beach has lifeguard cover. Hours: 11am to 7pm weekends only in June & full time July & August. Cover is seasonal; check locally before relying on it.
What facilities are there at Claremont Beach?
Claremont Beach has toilets, parking, accessible entry. Facility information is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland).

This spot is also in

Get told when this changes

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Nearby swimming spots

See all swimming spots near Dublin — about 13 km away.

Contains data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Sea temperature, wave and tide data from Open-Meteo.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modelled values, not measurements.