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Arklow South Beach

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 21 days ago.

Sea conditions

Water temperature

14.7°C

Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit

Wave height

1.4 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

Arklow South Beach is located in Arklow Town and is a sandy stretch of beach backed by boulders.

This spot’s record

Arklow South Beach is in Wicklow, about 1 km from Arklow. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 20 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 23 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.

Recent bacterial sample results for this bathing water
DateE. coliEnterococciAssessment
24 Aug102Excellent
10 Aug101Excellent
27 Jul101Excellent
13 Jul101Excellent
6 Jul101Excellent
29 Jun104Excellent

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
Yes
Parking
Yes
Toilets
No
Accessible entry
No
Dogs
YesDogs allowed on lead. Owners must clean up after their dog.
Public transport
YesIrish Rail Arklow station 1.5km from the beach. Dublin Bus 1km from the beach.

Official water quality

This spot has no official annual classification.

What Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor actually mean

Common questions

Can you swim at Arklow South Beach right now?
Arklow South Beach 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 Arklow South Beach?
Yes — Arklow South Beach has lifeguard cover. Cover is seasonal; check locally before relying on it.
What facilities are there at Arklow South Beach?
Arklow South Beach has 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 Arklow South 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.

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 Arklow — about 1 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.