Bundoran Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for Bundoran over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the outlook is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid window of swell pushing through, but the wind is going to be a real pain for a lot of it. The real action is centered around the last weekend of July and into the start of August, but we have to sift through some choppy conditions to get to the clean stuff.

The first bit of real swell we see is on the morning of Friday the 24th, with a 3ft swell from the W. But the wind is a cross-onshore at 12 mph, making it choppy. The energy is moderate (165), but it’s just not clean. That continues into the weekend. Saturday the 25th sees a jump in size to 6ft from the WNW, with strong energy (567), but that cross-onshore wind at 15 mph in the morning and 9 mph in the afternoon keeps it messy. It’s a lot of water moving but not much fun to ride. Sunday the 26th is similar, with 7ft swell from the WNW and strong energy (732), but still cross-onshore and choppy. That’s a lot of power, but it’s not surfable. For the experienced crew, it might be doable, but for the average surfer, it’s a pass.

Now, we start to see a shift on Monday the 27th. The swell drops to 4ft from the WNW, but the wind swings to a cross-off from the SSW at 9 mph. The energy is moderate (276), and the afternoon session is described as clean. That’s a glimmer of hope. Tuesday the 28th keeps that clean cross-off wind in the morning, with a 3ft W swell (164 energy), but it stays small. Still, glassy or clean conditions are a major positive, so if you’re on a log, Tuesday morning might be your best bet.

Honestly, the standout window is Thursday the 30th afternoon. The wind goes completely glassy, and we’ve got a 3ft swell from the WNW. The energy is light (126), but with glassy conditions, Bundoran’s reef (Bundoran) can offer up some fun, clean lines. That’s the best quality on offer right there. It’s small, but it’ll be clean.

Friday the 31st also looks promising with light offshore winds from the SE at 9 mph in the morning, dropping to 3 mph in the afternoon. We’ve got 3ft swell from the WNW, and the energy is weak (75 and 71). Again, small, but clean. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, the wheels fall off a bit. The first week of August is a write-off. From Saturday the 1st onwards, we get tiny, wind-affected slop. The swell drops to 2ft and below, with strong winds either onshore or cross-shore, making it messy. There’s a long gap of poor surf from the 1st all the way through to the 7th. The energy readings are all in the double digits, which is very weak.

So, the bottom line is: don’t get your hopes up for the first few days of August. The best surf is going to be on Thursday the 30th of July with that glassy afternoon session, or the clean, offshore mornings on the 31st. It’s not a massive swell, but it’ll be clean and fun. Everything else is a battle against the wind.

Rusty.

Read more