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White Rock Beach

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

White Rock is a small sandy cove accessed down approx. 100 steps from Vico Road. It can also be accessed from Killiney beach at low tide.

This spot’s record

White Rock Beach is in Dublin, about 7 km from Bray. White Rock Beach has been rated Excellent in each of the 4 bathing seasons classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), 2022 through 2025. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 63 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 31 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
14 Sept1018Excellent
7 Sept1013Excellent
31 Aug6349Excellent
24 Aug101Excellent
17 Aug103Excellent
10 Aug101Excellent

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. Excellent2022
  2. Excellent2023
  3. Excellent2024
  4. Excellent2025

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

Facilities & access

Lifeguard
No
Parking
YesThere is on road Pay and Display parking
Toilets
YesToilets on viewing platform Vico Road
Accessible entry
No
Dogs
Yes
Public transport
YesKilliney Dart station nearby

Official water quality

Classified Excellent in 2025.

White Rock Beach is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. White Rock Beach has achieved an Excellent 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 White Rock Beach right now?
White Rock Beach 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 White Rock Beach?
the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified White Rock Beach 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 White Rock Beach?
There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for White Rock Beach. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
Is there a lifeguard at White Rock Beach?
No lifeguard cover is listed for White Rock Beach. Never swim alone at an unguarded spot.
What facilities are there at White Rock Beach?
White Rock Beach has toilets, parking. Facility information is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland).

This spot is also in

Get told when this changes

We’ll email you when the swim status at White Rock Beach moves — a pollution alert opening, or one lifting. Not a newsletter: only this spot, only when it changes, at most once every 12 hours.

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Nearby swimming spots

See all swimming spots near Bray — about 7 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.