Strandhill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Strandhill for the next couple of weeks. This is a beach and sandbar setup, exposed to the open ocean, so it picks up a lot of what the Atlantic throws at us. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, to be honest. Friday the 11th is mostly a write-off. The morning is cross-on with a weak, short-period 4ft swell – not worth paddlin’ out for. The afternoon cleans up a bit with a cross-off breeze, but the swell’s still only 4ft with a short 9-second period. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

Saturday the 12th is a no-go. A bumpy 7ft swell with a messy cross-shore wind and that moderate wave energy (1040) just looks ugly. Sunday morning the 13th is where it gets interesting. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell from the WNW with a longer 11-second period and a light offshore breeze from the SSE. That is a proper window of clean, fun waves for an intermediate surfer. Sunday afternoon gets a bit lumpy again.

Monday and Tuesday (14th and 15th) are pretty quiet, with small, weak swells and onshore winds. Wednesday the 16th sees a jump in size to 6ft, but it’s a messy, blown-out onshore affair – not for paddle surfing, that one looks more like a kite-surfing day if you’re into that.

Now, Thursday the 17th is a bit of a tease. We get a solid 7ft WNW groundswell with a 13-second period (strong wave energy at 1497), but the cross-shore wind is fresh and lumpy. It’s gonna be a bumpy, challenging session, probably just for the locals on bigger boards.

The real standout for this outlook is Friday the 18th. The morning session is your pick. A 6ft WNW groundswell, solid period of 12 seconds, and a clean cross-off breeze from the SSW. Moderat wave energy (833), clean faces, and a break that is fairly consistent. It’s got the right direction for the optimum WNW. The crowds can be *sometimes* busy here, so get in early. That’s the one to circle for the first week.

The following week gets wild, but not necessarily in a good way. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th see massive swell – 13ft to 16ft – with very strong wave energy (over 4966). The wind is okay, but that size is way too big for this beach break. Unless you’re a pro on a gun, give it a miss. It just closes out.

Monday the 21st is also too big at 12ft to 10ft. Tuesday the 22nd settles back down to a clean 5ft with a cross-off wind – another good day for intermediates. Then on the 24th and 25th of September, things get interesting again. Thursday morning the 24th has a clean 8ft WNW swell with 11-second period and light offshore winds. That’s excellent for experienced surfers, but it’s pushing the limits for the average punter. Friday morning the 25th is the absolute gem of the second week: glassy conditions, a 8ft WNW swell, moderate energy (1540), and clean faces. That is a proper early-session call for the experts. Saturday the 26th looks too big again at 13ft.

So the best of the best: Friday morning the 18th for the best all-round fun waves for intermediates, and Friday morning the 25th for the experienced crew looking for a clean, powerful session.

Rusty.

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