Kilcummin Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: it’s a tough stretch coming up for Kilcummin Harbour. The first week is honestly a write-off with messy wind and small, weak swell. There’s a real gap of about 13 days without anything worth paddling out for. The only flicker of hope lands on Sunday, August 16th, but it’s a long way off and comes with its own challenges.

Right off the bat, the picture is grim. From Saturday the 1st through to Saturday the 15th, conditions are mostly poor. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 61°F, but you won’t be feeling it while you’re getting chopped up by onshores. The first few days serve up tiny surf with weak wave energy (176 down to 56), and the wind is cross-on or cross-off, rarely clean. Even when the wind does go offshore on Sunday the 2nd morning, the swell is only 4 ft from the NW with a short period of 8 seconds, giving you weak, gutless waves. Combine that with the moderate energy (258) and it’s barely worth the walk.

Mid-week gets worse. By Thursday the 6th, the swell bumps to 7 ft from the NNW with moderate energy (522), but the cross-onshore wind at 12 mph chops it to pieces. A bit of a tease. Friday the 7th sees the swell shift more WNW, 5 ft to 5 ft, but again, strong cross-shore wind at 15-19 mph kills it.

The whole of the second week is a flat, weak affair. Swell drops to 2 ft and under, with energy readings in the 40s and 50s. Offshore winds on the 13th and some clean windows don’t matter because there’s virtually no swell – 0.7 ft and 4 energy. It’s a dead zone.

Now, the standout – and the only real shot at a wave – is Sunday, August 16th. A solid 12 ft WNW groundswell with a 10-11 second period rolls in, and the combined energy is massive at 2664 to 2719. The wind is cross-off from the WSW at 19 mph, which will keep things clean. But here’s the catch: that size is for experts only. Anything over 8 ft is a heavy paddle, and this reef set-up will be demanding. Also, the period is still moderate – not the long, lined-up groundswell that really suits reefs, so expect some power but not perfect ribbons. It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but if you’re keen and experienced, pencil in that morning session.

Otherwise, honestly, the kite surfers might get a look-in on some of those windier, choppier days with moderate swell, but for a paddle surfer, it’s slim pickings.

Rusty.

Read more