Half Moon
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
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
The Half Moon Bathing Water is located approximately half way along the Southside of Great South Wall. It is not a beach and access to the bathing water is via ladder or slipway from the Great South Wall. Access for pedestrians along the Great South Wall is permitted solely by foot or bicycle. Vehicle access (except for emergency vehicles) is limited at the beginning of the wall, where bicycle parking and car parking facilities are located. For additional parking, it is encouraged to use the nearby Shelley Banks car and bicycle parking facilities and refrain from parking along the roadway to prevent disturbance/damage to sand dunes. The bathing area is bounded by the Great South Wall to the North and the Irish Sea to the South thus flora and fauna have limited opportunity to grow. However, due to its position and coastal connection to Sean Moore Park and the Irishtown Nature Reserve, it is of international importance for migrating Light-bellied Brent Geese and of national importance for nine other waterfowl species. The Half Moon bathing location is located within the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA), the South Dublin Bay Proposed Natural Heritage Areas and South Dublin Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is encouraged to check wind, weather and tidal forecasts before swimming. During times of adverse weather, Dublin Port Company (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dublinport.ie%2Fpublic-notices%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C87832797e7f04f86bcdc08dc297b7a20%7C03f164957710409d90cb9b3f403feeea%7C0%7C0%7C638430857721299040%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fNDpL7pcYw1LNii2yyrtaB0RYeXkdcLg8gfwjz3cxIQ%3D&reserved=0">https://www.dublinport.ie/public-notices/</a>) and Dublin City Council will issue a public safety notice for the temporary closure of the Great South Wall.
This spot’s record
Half Moon is in Dublin, about 7 km from Dublin. Half Moon has been rated Excellent in each of the 2 bathing seasons classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), 2024 through 2025. In the previous bathing season Half Moon was under a short-term pollution restriction on 8 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 457 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 7 September 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.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sept | 279 | 23 | Good |
| 8 Sept | 402 | 35 | Good |
| 7 Sept | 457 | 64 | Good |
| 31 Aug | 73 | 69 | Excellent |
| 30 Aug | 175 | 46 | Excellent |
| 24 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.
Quality over the last 2 years
- Excellent2024
- Excellent2025
This water has been rated Excellent in each of the last 2 years.
Facilities & access
- Lifeguard
- No
- Parking
- YesYes
- Toilets
- No
- Accessible entry
- No
- Dogs
- YesYes
- Public transport
- No
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Half Moon is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2025 and 2024. Half moon received an Excellent Water Quality result in 2024. Half moon was newly identified in 2024 as a beach for monitoring, management and assessment under the requirements of the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations. 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 profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Half Moon right now?
- Half Moon is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. 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 Half Moon?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Half Moon as Excellent 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 Half Moon?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Half Moon. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- Is there a lifeguard at Half Moon?
- No lifeguard cover is listed for Half Moon. Never swim alone at an unguarded spot.
- What facilities are there at Half Moon?
- Half Moon has parking. Facility information is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland).
This spot is also in
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Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Dublin — about 7 km away.