Lahinch Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for the Lahinch area. At first glance, it’s a bit of a quiet start – the swell’s small and the wind’s not playing ball. But there’s a decent pulse of groundswell on the way towards the back end of the month if you’re willing to wait for it.

We begin with a long flat spell. From now and right through to the end of July, the wave heights barely get above 3 ft. The wind’s mostly cross to cross-onshore, or onshore, so the surf’s messy or just not worth bothering with. The days just kind of blend together with tiny, short-period lumps, often below chest-high and often with a chop. The best-looking early window is probably Sunday morning the 19th, with a glassy 0.7 ft of west swell coming in at 13 seconds – that’s a proper long-period groundswell, but it’s still tiny, so you’d need a big board and some patience. That early offshore wind will have the surface clean, especially early. The water’s sitting at about 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – not a big deal but nice if you’re out for a paddle.

We finally get some size around the 26th. Through the weekend of the 26th and into Monday the 27th, the swell bumps up to chest to head-high, around 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind goes cross-onshore or even onshore. It’s lumpy and not great for surfing – this kind of wind with a beach setup might actually be more interesting if you’ve got a kite.

Then, out of nowhere, Tuesday morning the 28th shapes up as a standout. Lahinch Strand (County Clare) gets a clean 6 ft swell from the west, with a period of 10 seconds – solid moderate groundswell. The wind is listed as glassy, and the combined wave energy is strong at 680. That’s the morning to be out. It’s a point break and this west swell is right on the money for the optimum direction. It will be clean and well-shaped. Keep in mind, the swell is over 5 ft but under 8 ft, so it’s solid for intermediate paddlers; more advanced crew will love it. The crowds here are often around, but early Tuesday you might get a window of cleaner peaks before the afternoon wind hits.

The rest of that week turns a bit messy again. Wednesday the 29th has onshore wind and the swell is still overhead at 6 ft, but it’s going to be blown-out. Thursday the 30th is bigger again – around 7 ft to 7 ft – but the wind stays cross-onshore, so it’s rough. Then Friday the 31st morning brings the biggest swell of the period: a 8 ft west swell with a 10-second period and a massive 1147 combined energy. That’s powerful, but the guide says it’s “predicted to be too big for this break” – the onshore wind and the size could make it a washing machine. That one is for very experienced locals only, if anyone.

After that, the first few days of August see the swell drop back to chest-high again, with onshore or cross-onshore wind, so not much to get excited about.

If I was to pick one true standout: be on the water at Lahinch Strand on the morning of Tuesday the 28th of July. That glassy start with a solid west swell looks like the best chance for clean, fun waves the next two weeks.

Rusty.

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