Bundoran Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather round, surfers. Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a quiet spell ahead for Bundoran. The next week and a half is looking flat and mostly a no-go for decent waves, so don’t rush to get your wettie on just yet. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, with a pulse of energy arriving around Thursday July 23rd, but even then, the conditions will be far from perfect. Let’s break it down.

Right now, through the first week, we’re looking at small, weak swell. Saturday July 11th starts off with a tiny 3 ft WNW groundswell, but the wind is cross-onshore, making it messy. The combined energy is weak at best (110). The water is notably warm at 61°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – a good 4° above the norm, so you might get away with a thinner suit. But the surf itself is poor. This flat spell drags on right through to the 22nd, with waves barely reaching 2 ft and the energy stuck below 100. It’s all clean enough with light offshore winds for a few days mid-week, but there’s simply no power to work with.

We finally see a change around Thursday July 23rd. A WNW swell builds to 4 ft, and the combined energy jumps into the moderate range (around 211-216). It’s still not clean – the wind stays cross-onshore from the WSW and W, putting a chop on the surface and dropping the score. By Friday July 24th, it improves slightly. The swell pushes to 5 ft WNW, and the wind backs off to a light cross-onshore. The energy climbs to 262, which is the most we’ve seen, but it’s still a bit of a bumpy ride.

The best of the bunch – the real standout – looks to be Saturday morning July 25th. The swell holds at 4 ft from the W, with a 10-second period, and the wind drops to just 3 mph from the WNW, almost glassy. The combined energy is still moderate at 216, and while the official call says it’s marginal for tide, that light wind will make it the cleanest it’s been in two weeks. It won’t be a classic, but it’s your best bet for a surf. Expect a bit of crowd potential on a Saturday though, especially when the conditions finally turn half-decent.

Heading into Sunday July 26th, the swell actually gets a bit bigger – 5 ft for the morning – which pushes the energy into the strong zone (460). But the wind swings onshore, creating a choppy, messy scene. It’s going to be too lumpy for a good time in the water. Given the size and the wind, this setup might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So overall, don’t hold your breath until the last week of July. Saturday the 25th morning is the pick of an otherwise skinny and bumpy run. Keep an eye on it, but don’t book a day off work just yet.

Rusty

Read more