Lahinch Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Lahinch Strand over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – the first week and a half is a write-off. We’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of poor surf conditions from now until about the 7th of August. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, the swell is small and weak, and the wave comment is just "poor surf conditions" all the way through. It’s a real bummer. The water temp is sitting at 62°F at the start, which is just about normal for this time of year, so you can’t even blame the cold for the lack of waves.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Friday the 7th of August. The morning sees a small bump of 4ft from the WSW, but the period is a tiny 5 seconds – that’s just wind chop, really not worth paddling out for. The afternoon gets a little more interesting with a 6ft swell from the west at 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 316 (moderate). But the wind is cross-shore from the SSE, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and hard to get a clean ride.

The standout window, and the only time I’d really get excited, is Saturday the 8th of August. That morning, we’ve got a 8ft west swell with a 10-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is a massive 1092 (strong to very strong wave energy). The wind is cross-shore from the SE, which is about as good as it gets for this setup. However, at 8ft, this is getting into the expert-only zone – it’s too big for beginners. The forecast actually says it’s "too big for this break," so only the brave and the skilled should be eyeing it. The afternoon gets even bigger at 8ft, but the wind swings onshore from the west, making it a messy, choppy mess. So the morning of the 8th is your one shot.

After that, Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th are still big, with 7ft and 7ft swells, but the wind is howling onshore from the WSW and W, gusting up to 25 mph. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine. The combined energy drops off, and the conditions are described as "messy" and "lumpy" – definitely not worth it.

The rest of the forecast into the second week fades out into small, weak surf with clean offshore winds, but there’s just no size to work with. From the 11th, it’s back to small, weak conditions.

So, to sum it up: the only real standout is the morning of Saturday the 8th of August. It’s a big, powerful west swell, but it’s for experts only, and the crowds at Lahinch can be likely, so expect some company. Everything else is a dud. Keep your fingers crossed the forecasts change, because this is a long dry spell.

Rusty.

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