Strandhill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Strandhill over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one. The forecast is looking pretty quiet for a long stretch. We’ve got a bit of a dry spell on our hands. For the first ten days, there’s barely a ripple worth paddling for. Swell heights are tiny, mostly between 0.7 ft and 1 ft, and the wind is nearly always onshore or cross-on from the NNW or NW, which messes up any chance of a clean face. We do see a nice glassy spell on Thursday morning the 16th, but with only 0.7 ft of swell, it’s a lake, not a surf. From the 15th of July right through to the 24th, it’s pretty much all "poor surf conditions" – no standouts, just a lot of waiting.

Then things start to get a bit more interesting around the 25th. Saturday morning the 25th sees a slight pulse of energy with a 3 ft WNW swell. The wind swings around to a light S breeze, giving us a cross-offshore, and water’s looking glassy. The swell energy is moderate at 133, but the waves are small and a bit ordinary. It’s surfable, but you won’t be calling your mates about it. The afternoon of the 25th is even cleaner – dead glass, 3 ft from the WNW, period at 9 seconds, and a combined energy of 106. For a beach break in these conditions, that’s about as good as it gets in this run. It’s not a classic, more a fun little session for an intermediate.

Now, the real talking point, and the one standout in this whole forecast, is Wednesday the 29th of July. This is over a week away, so don’t lock it in, but keep an eye on it. We’re looking at a chunky 8 ft to 8 ft groundswell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy rockets up to 907 in the morning and 1021 in the afternoon – that’s strong energy. This is proper size, over 8 ft, so it’s strictly for experienced surfers only. The issue is the wind: Wednesday morning is a light cross-shore from the WSW, but Wednesday afternoon turns onshore from the NW. That onshore wind will make it messy and hard to manage at a beach/sandbar setup like Strandhill. Given the size and the wind, this setup might actually look more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers, to be honest. There’s also a marginal tide or condition note on it, so check your local knowledge. It’s the biggest push of the forecast, but it comes with strings attached.

Overall, this is a quiet period with a long wait for anything decent. The water temperature anomaly on the 15th is 3° warmer than normal, so the water is 63°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – a nice touch if you do manage a paddle on those small, clean days. The best bet for a proper surf is that big swell on the 29th, but it’s a week and a half away and the conditions aren’t perfect. If you’re flexible, the small glassy window on the 25th might give you a fun little session.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts, and I’ll catch you in the lineup.

Rusty.

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