Magheraroarty Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper surf at Magheraroarty Strand. There’s a real gap at the start of the forecast, so if you were hoping to get wet this weekend, you might want to make other plans.

The first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 19th of August. Before that, it’s mostly small, weak, and messy. Sunday the 16th has a tiny bit of push – around 3ft from the WNW with a light cross-off breeze, so it’s surfable but honestly pretty ordinary. The energy’s weak, only reading 104 on the combined scale, and the period’s a short 8 seconds, so it’s not going to have much punch. Monday’s even worse, dropping off and struggling with light rain and poor conditions.

Now, the one true standout in this whole stretch is Wednesday morning and afternoon on the 19th. The swell builds to a solid 7ft to 7ft from the west, with a period that climbs to 10 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy readings jump right up to 671 and then 832, which is strong, meaty stuff. The wind is cross-offshore, moderate but clean, and the morning has that “marginal” tag on it, but the afternoon looks better with the wind and tide lining up. This is the pick of the fortnight, but here’s the catch – at 7ft, it’s getting into expert territory. Not one for the beginners, that’s for sure. The break is inconsistent at the best of times, so you’ll want to be patient and pick your moments. It’s an exposed point, and the optimum swell direction is NNW, but we’re getting a straight west swell, which is still workable but not quite perfect.

After that, it’s a long, sad slide back into nothing. Thursday the 20th sees the wind swing onshore and the quality just dies. The rest of the week and into the following week is mostly tiny, wind-affected junk. There’s a slight bump around the 28th and 29th with some 4ft to 4ft west-northwest swell, but the wind is cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy is only moderate at best. By the 26th and 27th, it’s practically flat – energy readings down to a pathetic 1 or 2, so you’re looking at dribble.

The water temp is sitting at 61°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – about 3°F above the long-term average. So, it’s not freezing, but it’s not exactly tropical either. There are no other breaks in the data to switch to, so we’re stuck with this one spot, and it’s a blank run for the most part.

Bottom line: if you’re an experienced surfer, keep an eye on Wednesday the 19th – that’s your window. Everyone else might as well stay home and wash the wetsuit. It’s a long dry spell, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, so don’t give up hope, but right now, this is a quiet stretch.

Rusty.

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