Bundoran Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ down the line for us.

Right then, to be straight with you, this is a tough run. We’re looking at a long stretch where the surf is just not happening. The conditions are poor, and even when there’s a tiny bit of swell, the wind or the size is all wrong. You’re gonna have to be patient because the first real chance of anything decent doesn’t show up until almost two weeks from now. There’s a big gap here with nothing worth paddling out for.

Let’s start from the beginning. This Saturday morning, the 15th of August, at Bundoran, we’ve got some chest-to-shoulder high swell at 3 ft from the west-northwest, but it’s completely blown out with a cross-onshore wind. It’s a write-off. The next few days are much the same story. Sunday the 16th has a little bump and a clean offshore wind in the morning, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft, so you’d be floating around more than surfing. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th? Choppy and messy, with the swell picking up but getting hammered by the wind. By Wednesday the 19th, the swell jumps to 5 ft to 6 ft from the west (moderate wave energy, 470-668), but that’s a fresh cross-shore or cross-on wind ruining it. That’s a lot of water moving around with no shape. It’s over 5 ft, so it’s too big for beginners, but with that wind, it’s not good for anyone on a surfboard. To be honest, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The rest of that week and the whole of the next week is just tiny, weak swell and poor conditions. The energy in the water is often in the double digits – that’s weak.

Now, the standout window is a small one. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best we’ve got. We’ve got to wait until Friday the 28th of August. That Friday morning, we’ve got a clean, glassy start. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the east-northeast. The swell is only 2 ft from the west with a 10-second period, so it’s a long period groundswell for the size. The wave energy is still only moderate (70). It’s small and clean – that’s the trade-off. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The water temperature is a notable feature; it’s 63°F, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year at Bundoran, by over 4°.

Then Saturday the 29th of August morning looks similar. Another clean morning, light offshore wind from the east, with a 2 ft, 10-second period swell from the west (77 energy, moderate). Same deal: small, clean, but nothing to write home about. The green light on that Saturday afternoon goes yellow again as the wind swings.

So, the best on offer, if you can call it that, are the mornings of Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th of August at Bundoran. It’s small, clean, and you might get a couple of fun ones on a longboard if you keep your expectations in check. The good news is Bundoran is ‘fairly consistent’, so it doesn’t stay flat forever, but this is a proper dry spell.

That’s the reality of it. Hang in there.

Rusty

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