Beach in Dublin for novice swimmer

from_atozinc

Hello

I am a very weak swimmer and can only swim about 25 metres ( dont laugh ) so im looking for a beach where I can be relatively close to the shore and can stand up at waist / chest height without strong currents.

All due to safety and then when I hear about all these drownings, I want to be extra safe.

Is there any beach in Dublin that would suit my needs ?

nudger

I was out in Skerries, north county Dublin last week for the first time in about 20 years and had a great day.
Very few people until about 4 pm, no skangers.
You can walk out about 200m into the water and it will only be up to your waist, well worth a visit.

from_atozinc

nudger wrote: »

I was out in Skerries, north county Dublin last week for the first time in about 20 years and had a great day.
Very few people until about 4 pm, no skangers.
You can walk out about 200m into the water and it will only be up to your waist, well worth a visit.

Thanks. Is it sandy or a rocky bed when in the water ?

nudger

from_atozinc wrote: »

Thanks. Is it sandy or a rocky bed when in the water ?

Sand all the way, long beach, guessing 3k, just about 10m off the main road, can't go wrong.
It's just that little bit out of the way so keeps the skangers away, we are going again next week.

YbFocus

nudger wrote: »

Sand all the way, long beach, guessing 3k, just about 10m off the main road, can't go wrong.
It's just that little bit out of the way so keeps the skangers away, we are going again next week.

I'll second All that, gem of a beach and always really quiet.

from_atozinc

nudger wrote: »

Sand all the way, long beach, guessing 3k, just about 10m off the main road, can't go wrong.
It's just that little bit out of the way so keeps the skangers away, we are going again next week.

Thanks again. Also good that there are no skangers there

Should have mentioned that too in my opening thread ; )

nudger

from_atozinc wrote: »

Thanks again. Also good that there are no slanders there

Should have mentioned that too in my opening thread ; )

We got there about 12pm and there were about 100 on the beach, we walked the length of the beach and then went for 99's got our picnic from the car, had a bbq and by then there were about 300 on the beach.
By the way it's a lovely village worth a walk around.

Piliger

from_atozinc wrote: »

Hello

I am a very weak swimmer and can only swim about 25 metres ( dont laugh ) so im looking for a beach where I can be relatively close to the shore and can stand up at waist / chest height without strong currents.

All due to safety and then when I hear about all these drownings, I want to be extra safe.

Is there any beach in Dublin that would suit my needs ?

Portmarnock no question. Go the short cut down by the golf course.

hfallada

OP would you not just use a pool. At least if you run into difficulty you have a life guard handy. Dun laoghaire near the 40 foot is quite good

from_atozinc

hfallada wrote: »

OP would you not just use a pool. At least if you run into difficulty you have a life guard handy. Dun laoghaire near the 40 foot is quite good

Suppose I could. But id probably only be slowing people up and getting in the way in a pool

gzoladz

Sandymount? Very shallow and loads of families the.

miss no stars

Dollymount. Sandy & shallow way way out and feck all by way of current. Kitesurfers mad about it for that reason.

Would query whether Portmarnock is suitable for a beginner because of strong currents. Also out for that reason is the burrow beach and Claremont beach. All subject to strong currents, very unsafe for weak swimmers.

ProudDUB

The only downside to Dollymount is that when the tide goes out, it goes REALLY, REALLY out. You often have walk for ages to get to water that is waist level that you can swim in. On a very hot day, that is no problem, but on an average day, the long, long trek to and from the water can be uncomfortably cold. If you do go there, go to Howth end of the beach to swim, rather than the Clontarf end. The water is cleaner there. Bring a warm cardigan too. The beach is so exposed to the bay, it can can get very windy.

miss no stars

ProudDUB wrote: »

The only downside to Dollymount is that when the tide goes out, it goes REALLY, REALLY out. You often have walk for ages to get to water that is waist level that you can swim in. On a very hot day, that is no problem, but on an average day, the long, long trek to and from the water can be uncomfortably cold. If you do go there, go to Howth end of the beach to swim, rather than the Clontarf end. The water is cleaner there. Bring a warm cardigan too. The beach is so exposed to the bay, it can can get very windy.

Oh I totally get where you're coming from, but the beaches to consider are always gonna be like that in the case of the OP because the OP can't swim more than 25m so suitable beaches will tend to be very shallow slopes into the sea. Also, while the Howth end is nicer, the close to the tip you get the closer to the strong current in and out of the creek you get.

There are plenty of nice swimming beaches like Balscadden beach or Jameson's beach in Howth, the problem here is that while there's feck all current at them they're too steep in and get deep quite quickly.

I actually think the OP would be better off in a pool. If people in lanes get snarky just point at the sign at the end of the lane that says "Slow Lane" and point out that everyone had to learn.

schemingbohemia

Would Seapoint be any good? I haven't swum there myself but there are often swimmers there so you wouldn't be on your own if you got into any difficulties, also handy for dart station.

from_atozinc

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Would Seapoint be any good? I haven't swum there myself but there are often swimmers there so you wouldn't be on your own if you got into any difficulties, also handy for dart station.

Could be ok alright if the tide was a bit out

from_atozinc

I know, I know, very old thread.

But could anyone revommend any more spots around Dublin for a bad swimmer who won't venture out past waist height

Angry_Mammarys

The steps in Dollymount are great, They lead into the water which would be waist high, so its easy to have a swim and get back up to sunbath or whatever.

tricky D

Just a note on safety. A shallow beach isn't necessarily as safe as you think. There can be dangerous hidden currents or riptides and you could be quite far from a lifeguard. There's one near me which can be fairly dangerous at the wrong tide times despite the presence of a lifeguard. You could find one with a lifeguard and ask them where's safe for your level of ability and to keep an eye out on you.

discus

Beaches, shallow or not are not intrinsically safe places. If you are a weak swimmer, get lesson in a pool and practice before you take on the sea. Better swimmers than you have lost their lives this summer in Ireland and abroad.

from_atozinc

tricky D wrote: »

Just a note on safety. A shallow beach isn't necessarily as safe as you think. There can be dangerous hidden currents or riptides and you could be quite far from a lifeguard. There's one near me which can be fairly dangerous at the wrong tide times despite the presence of a lifeguard. You could find one with a lifeguard and ask them where's safe for your level of ability and to keep an eye out on you.

I get ya but trust me. I scope things out a lot. I go to places and examine them from the shore first, I don't just dive in ; )

I cycled out to Killiney beach this morning, did not like look of it , or the feel of the place and it seemed deep enough and a fairly strong tide, so a no no.

Went to the 40 ft too, examined it and no safe place for someone like me. There is a place with steps at 40 ft through an archway and all looks fine but it's very deep at the steps straight away. So that's a no no.

discus

Mate, if you are a weak swimmer with little or no experience, you have no idea of how to judge what is suitable for you, no matter wether you like the look of it or not :rolleyes:

I cycled out to Killiney beach this morning, did not like look of it , or the feel of the place and it seemed deep enough and a fairly strong tide, so a no no.

But, you obviously know more than us. I wish I was psychic like you, and had your ability to see riptides under the surface of the water. Do yourself and the coastguard a favour, and go to sea swimming lessons or pool lessons...

from_atozinc

discus wrote: »

Mate, if you are a weak swimmer with little or no experience, you have no idea of how to judge what is suitable for you, no matter wether you like the look of it or not :rolleyes:



But, you obviously know more than us. I wish I was psychic like you, and had your ability to see riptides under the surface of the water. Do yourself and the coastguard a favour, and go to sea swimming lessons or pool lessons...

In fairness, I never said anything about riptides.

I only go out as far as my waist, so al always in water where I can easily stand up. I always make sure there are people around and am very cautious.

ProudDUB

from_atozinc wrote: »

I get ya but trust me. I scope things out a lot. I go to places and examine them from the shore first, I don't just dive in

I cycled out to Killiney beach this morning, did not like look of it , or the feel of the place and it seemed deep enough and a fairly strong tide, so a no no.

Went to the 40 ft too, examined it and no safe place for someone like me. There is a place with steps at 40 ft through an archway and all looks fine but it's very deep at the steps straight away. So that's a no no.

That is a good attitude to have, but unfortunately you can't always see what lies beneath the surface, just from standing on dry land and having a look around. The sea at Killiney beach can be quite rough and it gets deep fairly quickly. You can see that quite clearly from the shore & and a novice would know to give it a miss. However, the beach near me (The Hole in The Wall in Sutton) looks as calm as a millpond all the time, but the underlying currents can be very strong. You can't tell that from the shore though.

I agree with The Steps at Wooden Bridge end of Dollymount. There is a life guard station there, but I think that most of them are only manned until the end of August. Once the kids go back to school, they are shut down. There is generally a good few people around though, so if you did get into any difficulty, there would generally be people on hand.

from_atozinc

See the attached picture taken at SEAPOINT with tide out.

My plan is to stay around where the hole is dug in the sand ( middle right of picture ) Few yards from the rails, no rocks underneath so I can walk without fear of getting cut. And I mean to stay within 5 metres of this area. Does this sound safe - would this specific area suffer from weird currents / rip tides ?

amdublin

I would not recommend beach swimming for a novice.

You will be safer in a pool swimming alongside the bar.

ProudDUB

amdublin wrote: »

I would not recommend beach swimming for a novice.

You will be safer in a pool swimming alongside the bar.

I agree with this.

If it was the beginning of June and we were heading into a warm spell, where all the cities beaches were packed, it would be a different story. But autumn is upon us now. Before too long, there won't be all that many people swimming in the sea now, as it will be too cold. It won't be as safer for beginners, as there won't be all that many people around, unless you go somewhere that always has a lot of foot and bather traffic such as the steps at Dollymount, or the Forty Foot.

OP, go to a pool. Talk to them about when is the best time to go when you won't get in the way of people doing serious laps. Even if you do get in their way, too bad for them. Everyone has to learn and/or practice their swimming somewhere and some how. You have as much right to be there, as they do.

from_atozinc

Fair enough all, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Im not an all year round person in any way or form, I would only be going handful of times when the weather is nice. Not a chance you'd find me out there on a mildly cold day

Out of interest, would Sea point be known for rip tides or strange currents ?

Crash

Definitely not as close in as you're talking about there - go midway between high and low tide and you'll have chest height water close in, without getting much deeper for a long way out - too close to low tide and you just won't actually be able to swim really.

But as others mentioned, a pool might be the best option - I'm not a great swimmer but I know where my limits are and am happy enough out in Seapoint on my own, but you may need to build up your confidence and awareness of your own abilities first before looking to do something like that.

from_atozinc

Crash wrote: »

Definitely not as close in as you're talking about there - go midway between high and low tide and you'll have chest height water close in, without getting much deeper for a long way out - too close to low tide and you just won't actually be able to swim really.

But as others mentioned, a pool might be the best option - I'm not a great swimmer but I know where my limits are and am happy enough out in Seapoint on my own, but you may need to build up your confidence and awareness of your own abilities first before looking to do something like that.

Thanks, to be honest, im not even doing it for swimming really its just to get in to the water, for the most part I just get in the water and mess round, a lot of the time, I just simply stand up in there, sometimes only up to my waist. sounds strange but its just nice to go in the water even and just stand in it.

Is this still dangerous ?