Doolin Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards. Honestly, for Doolin Point, the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag – more of a waiting game than anything else. We’ve got a fair bit of swell direction hitting the optimum West, but the wind and conditions are all over the place.

First up, this Friday the 21st. We’ve got some small swell, around 3 ft from the NW, but a cross-shore breeze from the North at 12 mph is making a mess of it. Combined wave energy is low, just 95, and the water’s a touch warmer than usual for the time of year at 63°. Not worth paddling out for.

Moving into Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd, the swell drops right off – we’re talking tiny 0.7 ft to 1 ft stuff. The wind switches around, and while Sunday morning looks glassy with a light offshore from the East at 3 mph, there’s just no energy in the water to work with. The combined energy barely hits 18. A real flat spell to start.

Then we get a bit of a pulse on Monday the 24th. The morning shows some promise: a 3 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, the kind that wraps around points and reefs nicely. The wind is offshore from the ESE at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy jumps to 162 (moderate), which is something. However, the overall conditions are still described as just ‘surfable but very ordinary’. Tuesday the 25th will be similar: clean, offshore wind from the East at 16 mph, with that same 3 ft swell, but still nothing to write home about.

That’s pretty much it until Thursday the 27th, when a bigger swell rolls in – 6 ft from the WNW, with combined energy at 408 (strong). The problem? A cross-onshore wind from the NNW at 6 mph makes it choppy and messy. Friday the 28th gets even bigger, with 8 ft from the West and a fresh onshore breeze at 19 mph – that’s only for the experts, and even then, it’ll be a battle with the wind. That kind of energy (694) combined with strong onshore wind makes this look more interesting for kite surfing than for paddle surfing.

The real standout, if you can wait, is the morning of Sunday the 30th of August. We’ve got a clean 4 ft swell from the WSW, the wind is a light cross-offshore from the SE at 9 mph, and combined energy is a moderate 216. This is the only time in the whole window where conditions are described as *good*. It’s an exposed reef break, and with an offshore wind, the sets will be clean and lined up. The water will still be comfortable. Keep an eye on that one, but don’t expect brilliant conditions for the rest of the run.

From the 31st of August through to the 5th of September, it’s mostly onshore winds, messy surf, or tiny swells. A few pulses of moderate energy (like 150-217) get ruined by cross-onshore or onshore winds. Even the long-period swell on the 3rd of September (15 seconds, 0.3 ft) is a non-event – barely a ripple with onshore wind.

So, the pick of the bunch is definitely the morning of Sunday the 30th at Doolin Point. It’s the only window that looks truly clean and surfable. The rest? A lot of waiting for the wind to play ball.

Rusty.

Read more