Dunmore East
A small cove with beach on the west side of the estuary. Very sheltered on southerly storms. Sewage is occasionally discharged directly into the cove here. Currents are safe to swim between beach and harbour or intermediate points like lady’s Cove. Local tri-athlete clubs train here on Monday nights.
Tramore Beach
5-mile long beach. Shallow along whole length.
Has a consistent long shore drift westward running, usually about 0.25 to about 0.5 knots strong, from the Red & Yellow Lifeguard hut at the end of the Promenade to the Town end. Waves break most strongly in front of Lifeguard Hut. Plenty of surfers.
Has lots of strong rips and currents at Saleen’s end of beach (5 miles from town), around entry to the back lagoon.(Back lagoon is a very shallow tidal lagoon) a few hundred yards behind beach.
The old sewage discharge pipe visible just east of Pebble Beach end at low tide, no longer discharges sewage directly into the water. Instead a new pipe discharges sewage directly into the sea about 500 metres out Because why would anyone ever be out there?
Welcome to Tramore. We’ll take your money. Here’s our excrement.
LoneSwimmer 
Yeah I’d say they are Cormorants alright. Well that Conger Eel was encountered on the swim back to Dunmore Cove almost before the turn. May sound silly but at first I thought it was a dying fish. Firstly because the size wasn’t so big maybe between 50 – 60 cm in length. Second it was vertical in the water. Third it appeared unafraid as I approached which reinforced my first thought that it was a sick fish. Not until I was face to face did it register how very snake like it was with a big thick head. It was just bobbing up to the surface and dropping down again. By the size of it…… probably a male. It also didn’t care a jot that I was there. Anyway after realizing what it was I didn’t exactly stick around to see if there was a bigger female lurking. Amazing what a small amount of adrenaline can do to a less than perfect swim stroke 🙂
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Just watch out if you leave the Dunmore Cove and go left. There are days when it really pulls. Have only swum as far as the bird shit outpost (yet to identify the birds that stand guard there) Also encountered my first congor eel out this way.
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Aargh! That’s the one thing that makes me nervous. Never seen one. Apparently unfounded reputation for aggression. What happened, did it just peek out? It’s mostly Shags, (i.e. Cormorants, the tall blacks ones),that stand on the rocks around Waterford.
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