Magheraroarty Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. We're looking at the next couple of weeks at Magheraroarty Strand, and honestly, it's a story of two extremes. The wave energy (combined energy of all swells directed here) will be swinging from a pitiful 25 to a monstrous 7909, but the problem is, when it gets big, it's just too big for this spot. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild to report there.

We kick off Monday the 17th with next to nothing – maybe a knee-high 1ft of weak north swell at 8 seconds. Not worth a second look. That silence stretches right through until Tuesday the 18th, when things start to ramp up, but with a catch. By Tuesday afternoon, we're looking at 8ft of west swell, and the combined energy jumps to 1174. That’s a solid wall of water, but the call is that it's going to be too big for the setup here. The wind is swinging cross-off from the south, so the shape would be there if it wasn't so overpowering. This pattern of "too big" hangs around through Wednesday the 19th, with 10ft (1960 energy) in the morning and 8ft (1231 energy) in the afternoon. The wind on Wednesday afternoon goes light and cross, which would be nice for the wave face, but the swell height is still a problem.

Thursday the 20th through to the end of the first week is a write-off. Onshore north wind and dropping swell, just messy conditions.

Now, here's where we get a bit of hope for the second week. The whole period from Monday the 25th onward is dominated by west and northwest swells. Monday the 25th afternoon shows a small, clean 3ft of northwest swell with a beautiful, long 12-second period. That’s a groundswell – better shaped waves and longer waits between sets, which is fine – but the wave energy is only 169, so it’s not powerful. The real standout, and I mean THE standout of this whole forecast, lands on Thursday the 27th. The early morning is blowing up to a massive 15ft of west swell with a stunning 14-second period, but the combined energy reading is a terrifying 7909. That's way, way too big for Magheraroarty. However, look at the Thursday afternoon update. It drops to 16ft (7694 energy) from the WNW, with clean, cross-offshore wind from the southwest. The call says it's too big, but for the absolute elite-level charger, this could be a once-in-a-blue-moon event. It’s a massive, long-period groundswell with clean conditions, and the direction matches the optimum (NNW) reasonably well. For anyone else, it's a no-go zone.

Following that, Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th mornings are still big but clean, with 8ft (1230 energy) and 7ft (821 energy) respectively, and clean, light winds. Saturday afternoon it drops right off back to tiny, onshore junk, and then the final Monday the 31st sees another massive 15ft (7522 energy) pulse but again, too big for this break. So, if you're a beginner or intermediate, this is not your window. If you're a proper expert, then Thursday the 27th afternoon is the only show in town – a massive clean groundswell, but bring your biggest board and all your courage. It will be inconsistent.

For the rest of us, it's a blank fortnight with one massive, dangerous peak in the middle. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those big days.

Rusty.

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