Magheraroarty Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's happening for the Magheraroarty Strand area.

It's a slow burner, to be honest. The first few days are pretty grim, and you won't be missing much until we get into the second week. The water's sitting at about 60°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's a nice little bonus.

The big story is that the decent surf is mostly going to be too big for this spot. We've got a solid pulse of NW swell building through Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th, with waves around 11 to 12 feet, but it's getting hammered by strong WNW winds, making it a total mess. The combined swell energy is massive (1754), but it's all for nothing with that wind. Forget it.

The real standout, and the only one I'd get excited about, is looking like the morning of Monday the 10th of August. We've got a clean 8-foot NW swell, with a period of 9 seconds, coming in with a light cross-onshore breeze and a combined energy of 1259. The wind is light, so the surface should be pretty clean with just small wind ripples. It's a powerful wave, but at 8 feet, it's pushing into expert-only territory for this setup. If you're experienced and the tide lines up, you'll be in for a treat. The afternoon of that day is a step down, but still a solid 6-foot NW swell.

We then have a bit of a lull. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th ease off into smaller waves, but the morning of Tuesday the 11th has a clean 4-foot swell with a 10-second period and cross-off winds, offering a much more manageable, mellow session. The afternoon of Tuesday the 11th actually has light offshore winds, giving you some clean, lined-up waves in the 3-foot range.

Later in the week, the swell tries to kick back in. Thursday the 13th afternoon sees a chunky 8-foot W swell with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 1125, but it's getting a cross-shore wind, which will put a bit of a chop on it. Again, that's a lot of power for Magheraroarty, and it's a marginal call.

The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off with strong winds and messy conditions. There are a few brief windows of cleaner conditions, but the swell is either too small, too big, or the wind is too strong. Don't hold your breath for the last week.

So, to sum it up: the best bet on offer is the morning of Monday the 10th of August for the experts, and the morning of Tuesday the 11th for a cleaner, smaller session. Everything else is a bit of a gamble or a washout.

-Rusty

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