Magheraroarty Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on offer up at Magheraroarty Strand.

For a spot that’s usually a bit tricky to line up, we’ve actually got some proper moments on the horizon, but you’ll need to pick your windows carefully. This isn’t a spot that fires every day, so a bit of patience is key.

The week starts off with a bit of hope. Sunday afternoon the 13th sees a clean, 4ft swell rolling in from the NW with a 10-second period. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 59°F, about 3°F above average, so you won’t need the thickest wetsuit. Wind is a light 6 mph from the SW, making for a light breeze and clean conditions. Combined wave energy is moderate at 328. It’s not huge, but for a beginner-friendly point break that’s inconsistent, this is a decent chance to get a few.

Monday the 14th is actually a real standout, especially for the early crew. Morning brings a smaller 2ft swell from the north, but it’s packing 13-second period groundswell energy (264 combined energy). The wind is a clean 16 mph offshore from the south, giving you moderate offshore and clean waves. The wind holds through the afternoon too, even with a bit of light rain. For a break that rarely sees these conditions, this is the pick of the first week. Get on it early.

Tuesday the 15th turns ugly. Swell jumps to 8ft but with a short 8-second period from the west, and a fresh 22 mph cross-shore wind makes a lumpy mess of it. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 16th morning looks promising on paper with an 8ft WNW swell, but the forecast says it’s too big for this break. Combined energy is 1346 – strong. Wind is light cross-shore. For experts only, and even then, the point might be overwhelmed. The afternoon cleans up but gets a cross-off breeze. It’s marginal.

From Thursday the 17th right through to Tuesday the 22nd, the swell stays big – between 8ft and 16ft – and the wind is mostly fresh and cross or onshore. These are big, messy, dangerous conditions. The combined energy hits 9049 on Thursday afternoon and 7008 on the 20th. That’s very strong wave energy. Unless you’re a top-level charger on a big-wave gun, give it a miss. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this stretch.

Wednesday the 23rd still has 12ft waves, but onshore wind from the north. Again, too big and not clean.

Now here’s your golden window. Thursday the 24th afternoon delivers a beautiful 5ft NW swell with 10-second period and glassy conditions – zero wind. Combined energy is a moderate 534. Expect very good surf. This is the best on offer in the whole 16-day window. It’s a proper standout.

After that, Friday the 25th drops right back to tiny 3ft – 2ft waves with clean but weak energy. Saturday the 26th is similar, and by Sunday the 27th morning you’ve got glassy 2ft waves from the west with 11-second period, but it’s surfable only in a very ordinary way. The rest of the month stays small and clean but unremarkable.

So to sum it up: Monday the 14th morning for a sneaky clean groundswell, and Thursday the 24th afternoon for glassy perfection. Everything else is either too big, too messy, or too small.

Rusty.

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