Kilcummin Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what Kilcummin Harbour’s got cooking over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you—this is a reef set-up that faces the swell from the NNW, and we’re in for a bit of a mixed bag.

First thing to note: the water’s 62°, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so you might not need the thickest winter suit, but don’t go ditching it entirely.

Looking at the pattern now, the first few days are pretty grim. Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd are a write-off—small, weak, and poor quality with onshore winds. We’ve got a long gap of nothing worthwhile until things turn around. You’ll have to wait until Monday the 24th for the first real glimpse of hope. That morning, a solid WNW groundswell rolls in with 6ft and a period of 11 seconds, carrying moderate wave energy (624). The wind is cross-offshore from the SE, so it’ll be clean. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the first surfable window.

Now, the standout—and I mean the one to circle on your calendar—is Thursday the 27th of August. That morning brings a beefy 8ft of WNW swell, with short period of 8 seconds, but the energy is strong (1008). The wind is light cross-off from the SE, keeping it clean. This is for experienced surfers only—8ft on a reef can be a handful, and the short period means it’ll be a bit dumpy and punchy. If you know what you’re doing, this is your session. The afternoon gets a bit sketchy with light rain and lighter winds.

Another one to keep an eye on is Monday the 31st of August. Both morning and afternoon have 8ft of west swell, again for the experienced crew. The morning looks excellent with solid energy (1070) and cross-off winds. The afternoon drops off slightly but still has very good surf.

After that, things get ordinary again. The first week of September is mostly small, weak, or messy with onshore and cross-shore winds. The only other flicker is Friday the 4th of September morning, with a 6ft north swell and offshore winds from the south—that’s a clean, punchy option, but the energy is moderate (399) and the period is short (8 seconds). It’s a maybe, not a certainly.

So, bottom line: don’t bother paddling out before Monday the 24th. The best bets are Thursday the 27th and Monday the 31st for the bigger, punchier stuff, but only if you’ve got the skills. The rest of the window is either too small, too messy, or just not worth the effort.

Rusty.

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