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The Irish Sea

Updated: May 15, 2021

Also known as the Manx Sea, the Irish Sea is about 210km long, 240km wide and is notoriously shallow.


Home to many islands – the largest being Anglesey, it supports many species of marine life, including sea anemones, shrimps, hermit crabs, and much more. Marine animals like the octopus, seal, basking shark, and leatherback turtle are also found there. The sea is brown due to its depth and the occurrence of storms - mud gets swirled into its waters.

The Irish Sea has a terrible temper at times, hence the saying “As unquiet as the Irish sea”.

So, what makes it treacherous?


The sea’s current comes from the cold and rough Atlantic sea and most of the time, it is normal to cross, but come bad weather, Ireland, and Britain’s ability to be hit by Atlantic storms, make the channel of water between the islands suffer very rough episodes. The big variable on Irish Sea passage is wind direction: strong westerlies stay close to the Irish coast, while strong easterlies favour Wales. Due to its depth the water can kick up quickly – so if you are planning a crossing, you may want to check out BH Marine’s Sea Survival Course first!




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