Magheraroarty Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our little corner of the coast. There's a rough start but a bit of a hefty pulse coming our way eventually.

We're looking at a quiet start this week, nothing worth paddling out for on Tuesday the 21st or Wednesday the 22nd. The wind is messy and onshore, with weak, short-period junk pushing in – not even worth a look. Thursday the 23rd cleans up with light cross-offshore breezes, but the swell is tiny, around 2ft from the NW, and combined energy is next to nothing. It’s clean but there’s no push. That sets the tone for a few flat, clean days.

The real story begins on Friday the 24th of July. The swell starts to build from the WNW, hitting 5.6ft by the morning with moderate combined energy and a 9-second period. The wind is a fresh cross-offshore, keeping things clean. It’s not a standout, but it’s a sign of things to come.

Now, Saturday the 25th is where it gets interesting, but you need to be on your game. The swell jumps up to 8.2ft from the WNW with a 10-second period and strong energy. The wind is cross-off in the morning, making it clean, but that size is pushing the limits. For the experienced crew only. The afternoons get lumpy with a cross-shore wind.

Sunday the 26th stays big, around 6.6ft to 8.2ft from the WNW, and the wind stays cross, so it’s not going to be perfect. The energy is still very strong. This size is too much for a beginner, and the cross-shore wind will make it a battle. Honestly, with the swell and that wind direction, this weekend setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The best window, if you ask me, is the morning of Saturday the 25th. That’s the stand-out moment. It’s got the biggest, cleanest swell of the run (8.2ft, WNW), strong energy, and clean wind. But remember, Magheraroarty Strand is a point break that is inconsistent, and with a 10-second period, it won't just wall up perfectly, but it's the best the forecast has to offer. It’s an expert-only call.

Things start to drop back down by Monday the 28th, with 6.9ft coming back to 5.6ft, but the wind stays messy. The rest of the week into August sees the swell fade to nothing by the 2nd of August. We’re looking at a solid run of flatness.

Another small spike appears around the 4th of August, but it’s only 3.3ft with weak energy and not enough to get excited about. The window closes again after that.

So in short: suffer the flat spell early, then be ready for a serious, expert-only slab on Saturday the 25th morning. After that, put the board away for a week.

Read more