Tullaghan (Leitrim) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the surf for Tullaghan (Leitrim). It's a bit of a frustrating outlook, to be honest. We've got a massive swell showing up way down the line, but the next week or so is looking pretty flat and sad. Don't get your hopes up just yet for the near term.

Right now, on Monday the 24th of August, it's the only real bright spot in the first half of the forecast. We’ve got a clean 4ft swell rolling in from the W with a 10-second period. The wind is glassy, dead calm from the SSE at 3 mph. Combined swell energy is a modest 270 (weak to moderate), but for a Monday afternoon, that's a pleasant surprise. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Then the lights go out. From Tuesday the 25th of August right through to the morning of Monday the 1st of September, it's a proper flat spell. Swell sizes barely scrape 2ft, if that, with all that weak energy under 100. Don't bother checking the cams; it’s gonna be a long, blank run. Looks more interesting for a paddleboard than a surfboard.

Come Wednesday the 2nd of September, things wake up, but not in a friendly way. A 7ft W swell shows up in the morning with a short, weak 8-second period and cross-off winds at 16 mph. It's got moderate energy (463), but the quality is poor. By the afternoon, that swell jumps to 8ft and the combined energy hits 1087 (strong). The period lengthens to a decent 10 seconds, but it’s windy and cross-shore. This is expert territory at best and looks messy.

Thursday the 3rd of September is a solid look. The morning has a clean 5ft W-WNW swell. The wind is light from the SSW at 6 mph with that nice cross-off flow. Combined energy is a solid 292 (moderate). This is the pick of the first two weeks: solid, clean, manageable for the intermediate surfer.

After that, it’s a bit of a washout with onshore winds and windswell until we get to the 7th of September. Now, here’s the standout, but a big caveat. On Monday the 7th of September, the forecast shows a monster 23ft W groundswell with a very long 19-second period. The combined energy is astronomical at 35016. The wind in the morning is glassy from the E at 3 mph. This is a once-in-a-blue-moon swell, but it is utterly colossal. This is purely for big-wave experts only and even then, it’s a serious, life-threatening mission. A long-period swell like that will break straight and heavy on the beach, so you need a reef or a point. It’s promising but less certain this far out. For the average surfer, the best bet you’ve got is the clean, middling swell on Thursday the 3rd of September.

Stay safe, keep an eye on that big pulse, but don't write off that Thursday session.

Rusty.

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