Annascaul Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day window for the Irish coast is a long, quiet stretch. There’s one little flicker of life deep in the second week, but for the most part, you’re looking at a whole lot of nothing. The first real surf recommendation doesn’t pop up until the 24th of July, so that’s a gap of over a week with basically nothing worth paddling out for. That’s a tough run.

Here’s the deal: Annascaul Rivermouth is the only break on the menu, and it’s a sheltered spot that needs a decent swell from the SW to get going. For the first ten days, it’s all tiny, weak slop—swells under 2 ft, periods all over the place, and combined energy readings barely cracking 100 (89 at best on the 15th morning). The water’s a balmy 66°F with a huge anomaly of 6°F warmer than normal, which is very unusual for this time of year, but that doesn’t help the waves. Offshore winds are often present, but there’s no power behind them. It’s a frustrating wait, but this spot is very consistent, so it’s just a matter of the swell not showing up.

Then, on Friday the 24th of July, we get a pulse. The morning sees a clean 3 ft from the W with a period of 11 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 219 (moderate). The afternoon bumps to 3 ft from the same direction, with 249 energy. The wind is offshore from the NNE in the morning (slight air, glassy), and cross-off from the N in the afternoon. That’s the standout of the whole outlook—the only time the score even reaches a 1. The swell is still small, but for a sheltered river mouth, that’s rideable, and the long period (11 seconds) means there’s some shape to it. Expect crowds sometimes, as it’s a known spot. The optimum swell direction for this break is SW, so this W swell isn’t a perfect match, but it’s the best we’ve got.

After that, it fades fast. The 25th shows 3 ft with energy dropping to 119, and from the 26th onward, it’s back to tiny, weak, and often onshore or cross-onshore wind. The 30th afternoon has a weird 4 ft from the W with an 8-second period, but with onshore WSW wind at 9 mph, it’s just messy. Don’t get your hopes up.

So, bottom line: if you’re desperate for a surf, the 24th of July is your only real chance. It’s not epic, but it’s clean and rideable for an intermediate. Otherwise, this stretch is a write-off. Forecasts can change, but it’s a long blank run for this area.

Rusty

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