Bundoran Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for us over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim run for Bundoran right now. We’re looking at a lot of junk – cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions are the story for the first week, and the swell energy is all over the place. For the first several days, from Wednesday the 22nd right through to the end of July, there’s really nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave heights are either tiny or just messy. The water is at 17°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only positive.

The first glimmer of anything rideable doesn’t pop up until Monday the 27th. Early that morning, we finally get some clean conditions with a light offshore vibe from the SSW. The swell is small though, only about 4ft, coming from the WNW with a moderate combined energy of 332. That’s not going to set the world on fire, but it’s a start. The afternoon stays clean too with a 5ft swell from the west, energy at 347. Still, this is very ordinary, just something to wet the line.

Tuesday the 28th morning is clean again, but the swell drops to 3ft from the WNW (energy 177). Again, nothing special.

We get a bit of a pulse late in the week. On Friday the 31st, the afternoon shows a 3ft swell from the west, energy climbing to 193, and the wind is offshore from the SSW, so it’s clean. It’s surfable, but still just ordinary. If you’re desperate, you could get a session in, but don’t expect much.

Now, into the second week, things get interesting for a moment. Sunday the 2nd of August has a glassy morning with barely a breath of wind and a 2ft swell from the WNW, energy at 121. That’s tiny, but glassy conditions are gold when the ocean is like a lake. The standout – and I mean the only real standout in this entire 16-day run – is the afternoon of Sunday the 2nd. Winds go glassy from the NW, swell is 2ft from the WNW (10-second period), and energy is 121. It’s clean, it’s glassy, it’s about as good as it’s going to get. The long period of 10 seconds means more energy and better shape, and because it’s a reef break, it should hold that swell nicely. Keep in mind, the crowds are *sometimes* an issue, but with these tiny waves, you might have it to yourself.

Monday the 3rd morning sees a weird 4ft swell from the west with a super short period of 5 seconds, so it’s weak and sloppy. Not great.

Then on Tuesday the 4th morning, it’s clean again with a 4ft swell from the WNW (7-second period, energy 128). Surfable but nothing to write home about.

And finally, Wednesday the 5th brings some clean offshore winds from the SE, but the swell is tiny – 2ft from the west (energy 89) in the morning, and even smaller in the afternoon. That’s barely a ripple.

So what’s the call? The best session, if you can make it, is the afternoon of Sunday the 2nd. Glassy, clean, a little bit of WNW groundswell. It’s not a big day, but it’s the only one that looks like it’ll be truly enjoyable. The rest of the period is a write-off. Still, the area is fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay this poor for long – forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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