Guides
The rest of this site tells you about today. These explain what the readings mean, and what they cannot tell you.
How long to wait before swimming after rainTwo days, three to be careful, and where that rule comes from.What a Blue Flag actually meansFour awards, four awarding bodies, and none of them is a reading.What the bathing water classifications meanWhat Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor are actually measuring.Cold water, and what it actually does to youWhy 15°C is the line, and what the first minute does to you.Sewage spill data in Ireland: what is and is not publishedWhat is published north and south, and what is not.Bathing water rules: what changed in 2025 and 2026What changed in 2025 and 2026, and what it means for a Poor beach.What the wave height means, and what it doesn'tWhy our words and the shipping forecast's disagree, on purpose.What is a storm overflow?When a water company is allowed to use one, and how it is counted.What the waterfall flow reading meansNobody measures it and nobody tests it. What the five words are.