Strandhill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m scratching my head a bit. For the first four days, Wednesday the 26th through Saturday the 29th, it’s barely a ripple out there. We’re looking at ankle-snappers at best, with swell heights barely hitting 2 ft and combined energy in the single digits (12) to barely 60. It’s not happening. You’d be better off polishing your board. The water is sitting at 62° which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only bit of good news.

Sunday the 30th morning sees a slight uptick, but we’re still talking about 1 ft of weak, disorganised energy (29). It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Then Monday the 31st, things start to get a bit more interesting. The swell picks up to 3 ft from the west with a 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 122. The wind is cross-off from the SSW at 9 mph, so it’s looking clean. But the commentary says “poor surf conditions” – that’s a tough call. It’s probably just a bit messy with the short period.

Tuesday the 1st of September is where it gets punchy. The swell builds to 5 ft from the WNW, but the wind is howling cross-on at 22 mph, and the energy is strong at 295. That’s going to be a lumpy, choppy mess. The 5 ft height is getting into the territory where it’s too big for beginners, but the wind is so bad I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone on a paddle board. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The standout, if you can call it that, is actually Friday the 4th of September. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the west with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits a massive 692. That’s a lot of water moving. But the wind is cross-on at 19 mph, so it’s going to be lumpy and tough. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s a battle.

After that, we drop back down. Saturday the 5th has 3 ft with a nice 10-second period and a gentle cross-shore breeze, giving moderate energy (183). It’s clean-ish, but the waves are just ordinary. The run from the 7th to the 10th is mostly tiny, with poor conditions and low energy.

The best of a bad bunch is actually Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September. The swell is only 3 ft and 2 ft from the WNW, but the wind is offshore from the SSE at 9-12 mph. That offshore wind is a major positive, keeping the surface clean. The period is short (6-7 seconds), so the waves won’t be powerful, but it’s the cleanest window we have. The energy is weak (62-66), but for a small, clean day, that’s your ticket.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The only real standouts are the cleaner, offshore days on the 9th and 10th of September, and the big, messy, expert-only swell on the 4th. The crowds are listed as “sometimes” at Strandhill, so on those clean days, you might have a few mates out, but nothing too hectic.

Stay patient, folks. This one’s a slow burn.

Rusty.

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