Portrush tide times

Portrush is on the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, facing north into the North Atlantic. The town occupies a small headland between East Strand and West Strand, with the Giant's Causeway 10 kilometres to the east and Rathlin Island visible offshore. The tidal character here is Atlantic: mean spring range around 1.6 metres, neaps dropping to about 1.0 m. The range is relatively modest, but the Atlantic exposure means swell size and storm surge can dominate water level changes more than the tide.

East Strand picks up the most consistent surf in Northern Ireland. The beach faces northeast, which catches North Atlantic groundswell from December through March when storms track across the North Atlantic to Scotland and northern England. Wave height on good winter swells runs 4 to 8 feet; summer is generally smaller and less consistent. The beach break has several peaks that shift with sand movement after storms; the quality varies but at its best Portrush East Strand produces clean shoulder-high waves accessible to intermediate surfers. Whiterocks Bay, 3 km east of the town, is more exposed and handles larger swell better.

The Causeway Coast as a whole is one of the most dramatic cliff-top walks in the British Isles. The section from Portrush to the Giant's Causeway follows cliff tops above basalt columns, sea stacks, and caves. The walk is 16 km one way and can be done in sections. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (13 km east of Portrush) crosses a 20-metre chasm to a salmon island — operating historically as a salmon fisherman's crossing, now a National Trust attraction. The crossing is tide-independent.

Ballantine fishing — hand-lining for pollock, mackerel, and wrasse from the harbour piers — is the traditional recreation at Portrush. Charter boats run from the harbour for offshore angling on the Antrim coast reefs, targeting coalfish, cod, and haddock in season. The Skerries, a reef complex 3 km north of the town, holds good fish populations.

The town has the infrastructure for the Open Championship golf tournament (Royal Portrush hosted the 2019 Open), which has brought significant hospitality development. July is the busiest month by far — accommodation books out months in advance in tournament years.

Tide predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model, cross-referenced with UK Environment Agency gauge data. For the most accurate local predictions, consult the UK National Tide Gauge Network via CEFAS or the UKHO's EasyTide service.