Inch
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
Checked against the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
14.8°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
0.4 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
Inch Strand is an exposed sandy beach, facing due west into Dingle Bay and to the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The sand dune system supports a variety of plant species. There are areas of salt marsh and mudflats which support a variety of bird species. Inch Spit is located within the greater Castlemaine Harbour Special Area of Conservation (Site Code 000343). In accordance with the EU Birds directive parts of Castlemaine Harbour and Dingle Bay are designated Special Protection Areas and also designated shellfish areas. Activities are regulated under the Kerry County Council Beach Bye-Laws, 2013. The full extent of the beach on Inch Spit is approximately 5km in length, however, the identified bathing waters comprise only 1.4km of this.
This spot’s record
Inch is in Kerry, about 20 km from Dingle. Inch 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), every E. coli count came back at 10 per 100 ml.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 27 Jul | 10 | 2 | Excellent |
| 20 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 13 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 6 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 22 Jun | 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 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Excellent2023
- Excellent2024
- Excellent2025
This water has been rated Excellent in each of the last 4 years.
Facilities & access
- Lifeguard
- Yes
- Parking
- Yes
- Toilets
- Yes
- Accessible entry
- Yes
- Dogs
- NoDogs are not allowed on the Blue-Flag section of the Beach (ie. within the Lifeguard Patrol area) between 11am and 7pm each day from the 1st June to 15th September inclusive.
- Public transport
- No
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Inch is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Inch 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 profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Inch right now?
- Inch 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 Inch?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Inch 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 Inch?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Inch. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- Is there a lifeguard at Inch?
- Yes — Inch has lifeguard cover. Cover is seasonal; check locally before relying on it.
- What facilities are there at Inch?
- Inch has toilets, parking, accessible entry. Dogs are restricted. 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 Inch 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 Dingle — about 20 km away.