Strandhill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Imperial version

Alright, folks, let's be straight. The next week and a half at Strandhill is looking pretty grim for the most part. We’ve got a long, slow run of tiny, weak swell, with the only real bump of size coming way late in the forecast, and even that one’s got a bad attitude with the wind.

The water's sitting about 62°F, which is a touch warmer than you'd normally expect for this time of year. Not a huge deal, but something to feel if you're a wetsuit-gauge sort of surfer.

We start off Thursday the 6th into Friday the 7th. Thursday afternoon is a total write-off – 2 feet of weak W swell, but it's blowing 15 km/h cross-on from the WSW, 5-second period. Utter junk. Friday morning's got 4 feet from the WNW with an 8-second period, but that cross-swell chop from a 20 km/h SW wind will ruin any chance of a clean face. The energy’s starting to build, hitting 151 (moderate), but the quality’s still zero.

Friday afternoon the 7th sees a jump to 5 feet from the WNW with a 10-second period, and the energy climbs to 523 (moderate). Problem is, it’s still a messy cross-shore 20 km/h wind. The report calls it "marginal" – it's nearly there, but it’s just not right for a good paddle.

Saturday the 8th, we get a slight reprieve: the wind swings S to SSW at 25 km/h, but it goes cross-offshore, meaning the waves are clean. Saturday morning brings a 4 foot W swell at 9 seconds and 246 energy (moderate). This is the best of a bad bunch early on, but the wind is still strong. If you’re a local who can handle a bit of punch, the morning might offer a few. By afternoon, it drops back to 4 feet and 199 energy, and the quality is poor again.

Sunday the 9th is a repeat: clean from a 15 km/h cross-off wind, but the swell is only 3 to 4 feet (9-second period, moderate energy around 161-190). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. No spark.

Monday the 10th is a tease. Glassy conditions (0 km/h from ENE) with 2 feet of 8-second WNW swell, but the energy is weak at 65. It’s glassy and clean, but there is no push. You’ll be scratching for a ride.

From Tuesday the 11th right through to Sunday the 16th, it’s a desert of tiny waves – nothing above 3 feet, period down to 7 or 8 seconds, and the energy bottoming out at a pathetic 12 to 158. The 13th of August offers 3 feet at 10 seconds (158 energy) with clean conditions from a light offshore wind, but that’s a flat day anywhere else.

The real kicker comes around Thursday the 20th of August. We get a proper bump: 6 feet of 11-second WNW groundswell, with energy skyrocketing to 944 (strong). That’s a bigger, longer-period swell. This is the only standout in the whole 16-day window. BUT – the wind is howling at 20-30 km/h, onshore, cross-on, or direct on from the WNW. It’s going to be a total mess. For an exposed beach/sandbar like Strandhill, that’s going to blow the guts out of the waves. This setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The period is long (11 seconds), so the sets will have good shape if the wind backed off, but it won't. Friday the 21st is more of the same – 6-6 feet on a 10-second period, with 25-30 km/h onshore NW wind. Big, ugly, windy.

So, the standout is the 20th of August, purely because of the size, but it’s for experienced chargers only. For the rest of us? It's mostly a wait-and-see game. Early Saturday the 8th morning is the only vaguely clean option, but it’s small.

Keep your eyes peeled, the forecast can always shift.

Rusty.

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