Surf Forecasts This Weekend

eiresurfer

This is a request for a sticky for all surf forecasts, requests for forecasts, or general predictions for the upcoming weekend.

Remember:
- Forecasting is, by nature (sorry), unpredictable. If you read a forecast that predicts 4' offshore, and drive 5 hours to find 1" slop, don't even think about blaming the poster or boards. Conditions can change, waves can stay away, moving or disappearing sandbanks can destroy a potential peak, or the prediction models can be just plain wrong. And that's assuming the poster is telling the truth...

The only person that can make the decision is yourself.

eiresurfer

I'll get the ball rolling with an example forecast.

Forecast, 14-15 August, 2010.
Very small everywhere, but with good weather. The typically small July-August conditions continue, with little activity in the Atlantic. 0-2ft in most places, with perhaps a rideable wave on exposed beaches.

cornbb

Lets try this as a sticky for a while. If it doesn't work out (i.e. if people have "sticky blindness" and overlook it) we'll forget about it. The Weather forecast has got a great thread on posters' own weather forecasts, lets see if we can do as well.

My own opinion on giving advice to beginners on reading forecasts: lean towards giving advice on learning to interpret forecasts, not just saying "it'll be good/bad at beach x on Saturday". Teach a man to fish and feed him for life, as the man says.

cornbb

If anyone wants to do a good "How to read forecasts" write-up, I'll happily add it to the "Surfing Advice" sticky.

wuben

this should be brilliant lads thanks a mill hopefully i can learn something here

Swaine55

whats the risk with an offshore wind thats too strong?

xxyyzz

Swaine55 wrote: »

whats the risk with an offshore wind thats too strong?

There's no real risk as such. The problem with strong offshores generally is that it causes a huge amount of spray coming off the top of the wave so you're often taking off almost blind. Also a strong offshore can catch the nose of your board on take-off making it difficult to get the board down the face of the wave. I suppose there is always the risk of being blown out to see a bit but unless its a hurricane it isn't too much hassle paddling back against it.

Swaine55

right yeah, by risk i ment, effecting your surf. not a fan of the spray myself, can look cool though. cheers

stevire

Looks like there'll be some small dirty swell hitting Dublin Area between Fri & Sat...

http://magicseaweed.com/Dublin-Area-Surf-Report/694/

Bit of a cross-shore wind so might be a bit of a sprayee mess!

ThOnda

Seems that I'll by trying my luck for the first time on the east coast tomorrow after work. Please, don't laugh

eiresurfer

Forecast, 21-22 August, 2010.
Moderate onshores winds with poor quality waves in most spots for saturday. However, a increase swell period from a north swell could produce slightly better waves at more exposed spots on sunday.

ThOnda

So, who's going to the west coast for morning surf? I am tempted to get out of Dublin at 4 to get to Co. Sligo at 7

SeanF

Swaine55 wrote: »

whats the risk with an offshore wind thats too strong?

The biggest risk with offshore winds is actually flying boards that can catch on the wind when you fall or jump off. Without being careful enough, I've been hit a couple of times by own board - it was just pure luck that I didn't get a finned on my head.

Poster King

Forecast for this Friday in Kerry area, and a lot of the west coast, is brilliant. I'm am heading to Tralee for a meeting Friday morning and trying to decide where to surf after. I have surfed Bantry Bay before, but the current forecast for Inch/Rossbeigh is looking really good. I am an intermediate surfer and haven't surfed much this year so am looking for some easier waves. Any suggestions/reccomendations? What is the beach break at Rossbeigh like? Is Banna Strand any good?

gerk86

xxyyzz wrote: »

I suppose there is always the risk of being blown out to see a bit but unless its a hurricane it isn't too much hassle paddling back against it.

Offshore gales will blow you out to sea. Keep an eye on landmarks and don't daydream while looking out at the horizon. You're body's essentially a sail when you're sitting there.

ThOnda

Holiday on Friday. Must decide which of the Co. Sligo beaches will be filled with laughters of on-lookers

Forecast seems like I haven't seen it before. It'll be fun!

xxyyzz

gerk86 wrote: »

Offshore gales will blow you out to sea. Keep an eye on landmarks and don't daydream while looking out at the horizon. You're body's essentially a sail when you're sitting there.

Well obviously if there are gale force winds you use common sense and don't paddle out. I assumed that went without saying.

SteviePitt

What do you say the chances are of cathing a wave in Dublin this weekend it says 4 ft swell with 14 mph offshore wind should I give it a try or am I just being extreamly stupid??

Mickeroo

SteviePitt wrote: »

What do you say the chances are of cathing a wave in Dublin this weekend it says 4 ft swell with 14 mph offshore wind should I give it a try or am I just being extreamly stupid??

Meh,worth a try!

Anyone else notice MSW and Windguru been pretty inaccurate lately? Swell was only supposed to be 0.9m(MSW) or 1.4m(Windguru) yesterday yet when a few of us went out at Keel there was overhead sets coming in, madness.

SteviePitt

Keel on achill isand?
That's a great place how big were they ?Magic seaweed are always really unaccurate.

Mickeroo

SteviePitt wrote: »

Keel on achill isand?
That's a great place how big were they ?Magic seaweed are always really unaccurate.

Yea Keel on achill.

For the most part they were shoulder to head height but some sets were overhead (meaning when you're standing on your board they're above your head).

xxyyzz

Mickeroo wrote: »

Meh,worth a try!

Anyone else notice MSW and Windguru been pretty inaccurate lately? Swell was only supposed to be 0.9m(MSW) or 1.4m(Windguru) yesterday yet when a few of us went out at Keel there was overhead sets coming in, madness.

The swell period was 13 seconds....

Mickeroo

xxyyzz wrote: »

The swell period was 13 seconds....

Could've sworn it was only 10 or 11.

fobster

Back from a beginner surf camp in Fuerteventura, looking at heading down the west coast this weekend.

Decent conditions for Lahinch according to Windguru, light easterly winds with a 12sec period on Saturday. Accuweather is saying something similar on the winds with a 8km/h east wind.

http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=47735

What school would people recommend for a a Saturday/Sunday lesson session?

CRenegade

Well two of the main ones are: http://www.lahinchsurfschool.com/ and http://www.benssurfclinic.com/

Keep an eye on that forecast - defo could change. Either side of that 30 hour window is pretty crap!

PeakOutput

studying sucks cant wait for a surf in a week or two :cool:

ThOnda

Is anybody going to surf in Dublin area this weekend? I cannot go to the water, but I would like to take few pictures. Send me message if you are going somewhere, please.

jarv

Any Swell on the east coast today ?

SteviePitt

Yeah I'm thinking of heading out to either Killiney or Portmarnock this Saturday. 11 ft swell 54 mph wind. Should be decent enough I'll reply again Saturday evening on how the surf was.

eiresurfer

Wicklow spots may well be working this weekend.

However, the charts suggest the swell may not wrap around enough, but these can often be slightly wrong - and possibly wrong enough to gamble on a look this weekend.

http://www.eiresurfer.com/noaawavewatchiii.htm

Mickeroo

Right, I've unstickied this since nobody uses it anymore. I've moved the pretty useful post on reading forecasts to here instead.