Outdoors · Guide
Where to swim in November
The water is about 12 degrees, the lifeguards went home in September and the Prom has storm damage. Here is how Galway swims in winter anyway.
Gaillimh3 November 2026 · 4 min read
Galway keeps swimming through the winter. The crowd gets smaller and the start gets earlier. Every morning at Blackrock there is a group in the water before eight. If you want to join them, this is what to know.
Before you get in
- Water
- Roughly 11 to 13 °C / 52 to 55 °F in November, dropping to 8 or 9 °C by February. Our Today tile shows the live Galway Bay reading.
- Lifeguards
- None. Water Safety Ireland cover runs June to early September. Never swim alone, and tell someone your exit time.
- Tides
- Blackrock and Silverstrand are best from two hours before to two hours after high water. The tide tile on the home page is Galway Port, which is close enough.
- Storm damage
- After Storm Buelo (24 Oct) the council closed the Prom between the D’Arcy roundabout and Galway Business School until further notice. Check Useful Info.
Blackrock
The diving tower at the Salthill end of the Prom. Steps down into deep water at high tide, a ladder for getting out. The daily crowd is friendly and will tell you the water temperature before you ask. Changing is on the concrete, so bring a dryrobe or a big towel and a flask. Bus 401 stops at the top of the steps.
Ladies Beach
Halfway along the Prom. Sheltered, sandy, shelving gently. The gentlest entry on this stretch and the place for a first winter dip. Toilets at Salthill Park. Mind the exposed rocks at the Blackrock end on a low tide.
Silverstrand
Ten minutes past Blackrock on the Barna road, a small horseshoe beach with a car park at the top. Fewer people than Salthill, and the sunsets are the reason people come. Our Blackrock to Silverstrand walk gets you there on foot.
Grattan Road and the Claddagh
Closest to town. Shallow for a long way out, so good for a wade more than a swim, and exposed at low tide. The swans do not mind company.
The rules we would add
- Two minutes is a swim in November. Get out before you feel cold.
- Warm up slowly: layers first, then the flask, then walk. No hot showers straight away.
- Wind over tide at Blackrock makes a chop that is bigger than it looks. If the surfers are out at Salthill, stay out.