Tullaghan (Leitrim) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks. Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – looking at the 16-day window for the Tullaghan (Leitrim) area, the outlook is grim. There’s a clean sweep of nothing. Every single session in the forecast is rated as poor surf conditions. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board than getting it wet around here for a while.

We start on Tuesday morning, the 28th of July, with a weak 4ft swell from the west, but it’s a short period 8 seconds and a cross wind from the SW at 9 mph. The combined energy is low, at 198. It’s messy. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, if you can believe it. That’s about the only thing that’s slightly interesting.

The week continues the same story. Wednesday the 29th offers a tiny 3ft swell from the WNW, but the period is still short at 8 seconds, and the wind is on it. By Thursday morning the 30th, the swell pops up to 5ft from the WNW with a short 7-second period, and the wind is howling onshore at 19 mph from the WNW. The energy reads 259, but it’s just a lumpy, blown-out mess. Not a single moment of clean surf.

The only real calm in the storm comes on Sunday the 2nd of August. The swell drops to 2ft from the WNW, but the wind turns offshore from the ESE at 9 mph. The energy is a paltry 40. It’s clean, but there’s no power to push you. It’s a flat, glassy lake. For the next couple of days, the wind stays offshore, but the swell is essentially non-existent.

Then we get a pulse of energy around the 4th and 5th of August. Tuesday afternoon the 4th sees a 6ft WNW swell with a 7-second period, and the energy jumps to 335. Wednesday morning the 5th has a 7ft NW swell, 8-second period, and a massive energy reading of 544. That’s a lot of water moving, but again, the wind is a strong cross-shore or cross-onshore at 15-19 mph. It’s going to be a washing machine. For the experienced lads, it might be a challenge, but for anyone else, it’s just a messy, lumpy paddle. The period is too short for that kind of power to shape up nicely. It’s not a pretty sight.

The end of the forecast window does offer a little glimmer, but it’s a long way out. On Saturday the 8th of August, we see a 5ft swell from the west with a very long period of 11 seconds, and an energy reading of 524. Wind is a light cross-on from the NNE at 3 mph. The report says it’s a marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions. The long period means it could be a proper groundswell, but at a point break like Tullaghan, it might just break too straight and fat. It’s a long-range hope, but nothing we can bank on.

So, here’s the heart of it. There are no standouts. No “best on offer.” The entire 16-day forecast is a write-off. The combination of poor winds, messy swell periods, and generally weak energy means the surf is just not on. If you’re desperate, you’ve got a few days of clean, flat water for a paddle, but don’t expect a wave. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a disappointing run. But it’s a blank run – it tends not to stay poor for long, and forecasts can change. For now, leave the board in the shed.

Rusty.

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