Lahinch Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one. We're looking at a long, dry spell for the Lahinch area, and I mean bone dry. The whole 16-day window is a quiet one, with nothing that gets the heart racing. The first session worth paddling out for doesn't even kick off until Thursday the 23rd of July, and even then, we're starting small.

Thursday 23rd July sees tiny 1 ft swells rolling in from the west with a short period of 8 seconds. Weak energy levels (13) aren't going to push you anywhere. Thursday morning offers a light northerly breeze with an offshore feel and clean conditions, but it's more of a longboard cruise or a learner's session on the inside. The afternoon gets a bit choppier with a cross-shore northwesterly.

Friday 24th is slightly better, with the swell lifting to 2 ft–2 ft from the west-northwest. The period stretches to 10 seconds on the morning, giving a touch more shape. Combined energy bumps to 58, but the wind is cross-onshore, so expect a bumpy surface.

Things start to look more promising in size but not in quality as we head into the weekend. Saturday 25th sees a notable jump to 6 ft from the WNW, with a combined energy of 375. This is moderate energy, but the period is a short 8 seconds and a fresh 18 mph westerly wind has it cross-onshore and lumpy. This is heavy, messy, and really only for experienced surfers, if anyone.

Sunday 26th peaks with 7 ft from the west-northwest and 9–10 second periods. The combined energy is strong at 778, but again, a consistent fresh 18 mph cross-shore wind from the northwest creates a lumpy, cross-chop. This is raw power without any finesse. This setup, with the mix of big swell, poor conditions and a beach setup, might actually look more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

From Monday 27th into the start of August, the swell drops rapidly. It hovers around the 4 ft to 4 ft mark with onshore and cross-onshore winds dominating – WSW and W. The combined energy falls back into the low to mid hundreds. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Thursday 6th August gives us a tiny moment of calm. The afternoon shows a 2 ft west-southwest swell with a glassy, light northwesterly breeze. The energy is negligible (24). It's clean but flat.

Friday 7th August ends the period on a clean note, with a 1 ft west swell and a light easterly cross-offshore breeze. A weak 16 combined energy and clean conditions are about all we get.

The long and short of it: There's no standout session in this forecast. The best of a bad bunch is probably Friday the 31st of July morning, with a gentle cross-shore breeze and 3 ft of swell. But even then, the energy is weak. For the rest, we've got some size but wind-ruined conditions, or clean small waves. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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