Doolin Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, lads, Rusty here. Grab a seat. We’re looking at the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a right mixed bag, and for a while there, it’s looking properly grim. We’ve got one standout window that’s worth circling on the calendar, but the rest is a whole lot of nothing.

The story starts with a bit of a flat, blown-out spell. For the first few days, we’ve got nothing but weak, short-period swell and a messy onshore wind. It’s the kind of conditions that’ll have you checking the forecast more than the surf. We're talking poor surf conditions across the board. The energy is weak, with combined swell energy values barely scratching past 200 (220 on Sunday afternoon). Not worth getting wet for.

Then, Monday the 10th comes in with a bit of a tease. We see a glassy start with a slight air, but the swell is tiny and weak (3ft at 8 seconds), and the energy is feeble at just 83. It’s surfable, but let’s be honest, it’s pretty ordinary.

The mid-week is a write-off. There’s a couple of cleaner moments on the 12th and 13th, but the swell direction is off, and the wind just doesn’t play ball. We’ve got one day, Wednesday the 12th morning, where the conditions are described as “clean” with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is still weak and short-period. Not exactly firing.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. There’s a big gap in the calendar with nothing on offer for days. But then, we get to the real event. It’s still a week out, so don’t book the time off yet, but the 19th and especially the 20th of August are looking like the closest thing we’ve got to a proper swell. On the 19th, we see the energy start to build, with combined energy values jumping to 607 and 1001, but the wind is still onshore and messy. It’s a lot of water moving around, but it’s not clean.

The standout is Thursday the 20th. This is the one. We’re looking at a proper pulse of groundswell from the WNW, with a 8ft swell at a solid 11-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1277. The wind is light and cross-shore, which should keep it mostly clean. This is a big, powerful swell, and it's going to be one for the experts only at this size. Doolin Point (Clare) is an exposed reef, and with this much west in the swell, it’s going to be on. It’s a heavy, expert-only wave on its best day, so if you’re not completely comfortable on a big reef, give it a wide berth. This is the one to watch.

After that, the 21st and 22nd see the swell drop back down, but the wind cleans up. The 21st morning has a light offshore breeze with a clean 4ft swell, and the 22nd morning has a clean 5ft with a cross-offshore wind. These are much more manageable, but they’re not in the same league as the 20th.

So, there you have it. A long, barren stretch, one massive, dangerous day on the 20th that’s the clear standout, and a couple of smaller, cleaner windows after it. Keep your eyes on that Thursday the 20th; it’s going to be big.

Rusty, out.

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