Richard O’Connor
Despite the April showers continuing through into May, surfers had cause for joy this week with a share of fun waves gracing the North and Northwest.
Reliable Bundoran probably showed us the most action midweek. It was far from what we experienced at Mullaghmore in early March however. Then again for most average surfers a few feet of Atlantic is more than enough to keep us smiling.
Often when a few weeks of inconsistent swell and weather pass, the weekend warrior may get a harsh awakening when favourable waves eventually do roll in. Reality quickly sets in when white foam is washing overhead and tired shoulders show signs of deconditioning. Lack of a decent paddle workout comes at a price.
It would not be entirely familiar to locals in Bundoran and Lahinch. Certainly East coast surfers or inland dwellers would know how the ‘pop-up’ can become less of a ‘pop’ and more of a ‘stand’ after a few weeks waiting for decent waves.
That’s why surfers obsessively monitor conditions. That’s why we never want to miss a surf. That’s why many options for getting on the water are needed to avoid the wave drought. Following the boom of surfing in Ireland we now see stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding growing in popularity as surfers expand their arsenal.
SUP and sea kayaking will continue to grow as popular sports here particularly as the surfing boom reaches plateau and surfers seek assurances of a weekend fix. This weekend could be a good time to expand the quiver!
OUTLOOK
The relentless rain has moved on but some showers linger. Saturday morning will start off dry but the South and Southwest will experience some rainy spells as the day progresses. It should remain fairly dry with brief sunny periods in the Northwest and North. Sunday will see more rain unfortunately, reasonably light during the earlier parts of the day in the South and along the West coast. In the afternoon however the rain will become more consistent and will also spread to the north of the country. Temperatures will range from 4 to 8 degrees Celsius.
NORTH
Saturday: Light northerly swell with a nine-second period. Wind is light Northeasterly, 9mph, so onshore winds in Portrush. Not enough swell and too onshore to expect any real waves. High tide is at 6.33 am.
Sunday: It’s looking pretty quiet again unfortunately. Winds may turn with light cross- offshore winds expected from the Southeast combined with a weak westerly swell. 1 foot waves at best. High tide is at 7.15am.
NORTHWEST
Saturday: Moderate northerly swell with an eight-second period and 1- 2 foot waves. Light cross- offshore winds from the Northeast of 10 mph are favourable so hopefully we’ll get a few waves. At the moment it looks like Saturday morning will be better to get out before winds turn more northerly in the evening. High tide is at 5.58am in Donega.
Sunday: On Sunday winds will remain quite light and are expected to turn southeasterly or easterly so still favourable. Northerly swell is still weak however with just 1 foot waves on the way. High tide at 6.42am in Donegal.
WEST:
Saturday: Poor westerly swell with an 11-second period, not much wave action on the way. Moderate offshore winds of 15mph may give a chance of some knee slapping waves Saturday evening at best. High tide is at 5.11am in Clare.
Sunday: Winds of 15mph westerly but not enough swell so no surfing expected this weekend High Tide at Lahinch is 5.55am.
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH
Saturday: Disappointingly flat this weekend in the South. Kerry and Cork are blowing light easterly but with no swell in town the boards can stay on the rack. Not much swell in Waterford either this weekend.
Sunday: Winds will be light and easterly in the morning but again no surf to be found. Turning onshore and increasing to moderate in the afternoon. It could be a weekend for beginners to try kitesurfing but no waves for the surfboard. The longboard ‘retro’ Sea Sessions surf competition planned for Garretstown this weekend is off due to lack of waves. A bodyboard competition is being held there over the next few weeks however as soon as suitable swell rolls in.
Richard O’Connor is a Irish surfer and blogger on forecasting website www.surfrepublic.ie
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/Z0eMPff-edg/post.aspx
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