Lahinch Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks. It’s Rusty. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks here. I’ll be honest with you, straight up: the outlook for the first ten days or so is pretty grim. We’ve got a lot of onshore wind and messy conditions, but there is a little light at the end of the tunnel if you’re patient. Don’t expect much until we get past the middle of the month.

We’re starting off with a real dud. The weekend of the 4th July is a write-off. On Saturday the 4th, we’ve got a solid 6ft of west swell, clocking in with moderate energy (476), but the wind is howling from the WSW at 19–22 mph and it’s straight onshore. It’s going to be a washing machine out there at Lahinch Strand – pure messy, poor surf. Sunday is more of the same, just a little smaller at 4-5ft, but still onshore. Not worth paddling out.

We drag through the start of the week. Monday the 6th sees the swell drop to 4ft but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, so you’re still looking at choppy, poor conditions. Tuesday the 7th is small again at 3-4ft, and the wind is still cross-onshore. It’s just not cleaning up. Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th are tiny – 3ft – but there’s a bit of a silver lining. On Thursday afternoon the 9th, the wind goes glassy. We get a window of clean, glassy conditions at Lahinch Strand. The swell is only 3ft from the west with a period of 9 seconds, and the energy is weak (132), so the waves will be surfable but very ordinary. You’ll get some small, clean lines if you’re desperate for a paddle.

Friday the 10th morning holds that glassy feel with a tiny 3ft swell (91 weak energy), but it’s pretty flat and weak. The afternoon gets messy again. Then we have a long, drawn-out stretch from the 11th to the 16th that’s just not giving us anything good. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross, but the swell is too small – mostly under 3ft – and the energy is weak. There’s a slight bump on Monday the 13th with a 4ft west swell that has a longer period of 11 seconds and moderate energy (324), which suggests a bit more shape. But the wind is cross-shore, so it’ll be lumpy and chopped up. Not your day.

Now, here’s where we get the one true standout. It’s a bit of a wait. Tuesday the 14th July is the day to circle on the calendar. We’ve got a 5ft west swell rolling in with moderate energy (310) and a period of 9 seconds. The real kicker is the wind: it’s light from the WSW at just 3 mph. That’s near glassy, and it’s blowing offshore from the NE for this spot. That combination is going to deliver clean, lined-up surf at Lahinch Strand. This is a point break, exposed to the west, and with the offshore wind, it’s set up beautifully. The water temperature is about average for the time of year. This is the session to aim for. The quality is marginal in the forecast, but with those winds, it’s the best we’ve got in the whole run.

After that, it trails off again. Wednesday the 15th drops back to 3ft with cross-onshore wind, and by the end of the week the swell is tiny and weak. The very final morning of the forecast on Sunday the 19th July shows a tiny 1.0ft of west swell with a light cross-off breeze from the ENE, giving clean conditions, but there’s just no water moving. That’s a flat spell.

So, the summary is: tough go of it for the first week and a half. The standout, and really the only real highlight, is Tuesday the 14th July. Get on it.

Rusty.

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