May bank holiday on the way

May bank holiday is on the way and surf forecast is looking good. We are expecting a big swell so there will be plenty of waves at all spots. The winds will be SW so Streedagh could be a good option. Rossnowlagh will also have waves but Bundoran will be too big for the beach. Waves at the reefs but a bit messy with the wind probably. If you are coming to Bundoran expect it to be busy and book a bed in advance. Being May means that the water is definitely warming up and some people are wearing 4:3's and even summer suits.

We had some a stag party out surfing at the weekend, and as you can see from the photo they were looking very stylish. The can of beer and pack of smokes shows just how serious these guys were about surfing. Anyway, they all got a few waves and had a great weekend in 'Fundoran'.

We had some decent waves yesterday and good weather. Check this sunset shot at Tullaghan taken from Pete's appartment. Being this close to the surf means is the best man for a surf report.

Josh emailed from Potugal to keep us updated on his and Karls Portugal trip

hey guys just in portugal, pretty sick place spendin most of our time in peniche as its good with the wind and swell directions, supertubes is sick love it, havent surfed coxos yet as its always been north wind but supers has been on big bazzas and heaps of sand in ya undies when ya dont make them thats what carl says anyways cause i always make it ha ha, heaps of irish over here been having a bit of craic and owe alot of people pints when i get back but its grand.

The superfreak wetsuit is sick if i were to sell one i would encourage them to drop a size as it is so flexy, first couple of surfs it feels kinda small but then they kinda mould to your body shape, im usually LT but the large is sweet so yeah thats what i reckon and yeah its real warm too, stoked boys legends. gonna be home next week maybe friday or thursday see how the buses go and the rest. might get a chance to surf the big boards this weekend so my fingers are crossed, jealous of those lakey pics and carl reckons he and aidan scored killcummen sooo jealous of that one, cant wait to get back and go surfing with yous again its on this season.......... josh

After Oz we hit Indo for some early season action. Even after summer in Oz Indo was hot and humid. A swell hit as soon as we arrived so we bolted for Sumbawa which is 2 islands to the east of Bali. Lakeys in Sumbawa is a little like Bundoran with at least 6 reef in walking distance with the main wave being a peak with a left and right. March is normally early season in Indo when swells can be inconsistent but the winds and crowds can be lighter. The water is so warm that you often sweat in the water while paddling and sunburn is a major hazard. Good tip is to buy board shorts with a zip pocket were you can keep zinc for your nose The first swell was pumping but dropped quickly and left us gagging for more. The next swell wasn’t looking big on the charts but it was 6foot plus. Unfortunately it also coincided with full moon tides meaning that it was super shallow on the low tide. Also with a lot of water moving around some of the waves were nasty rather than ‘indo perfect’. It is possible to surf Nungas a long left a little like Tullaghan left on these swells which never really gets crowded.

About 6 of us headed out for the early low tide surf with Rick a fellow bundoran resident charging on his backhand. After a few early ones we got rattled as one of the Hawaiian guys had a suspected broken neck and the reef was pretty try. The take off wasn’t too bad but once the wave doubled up in the inside you didn’t want to fall off. Definitely some of the most perfect waves I have seen in my lifetime. When we got in the Hawaiian guy was on a spinal board trying to get a helicopter to Bali. A few nervous people were busy on the internet trying to get travel insurance, it is a necessity as copters often cost over $20 000. The copter didn’t come for two and a half days and the poor guy was just lying there contemplating his fate. The surf continued to pump. After many excuses the helicopter was too take him to the local airport were a medivac plane was going to whip him too Singapore. Unbelievably the plane at the local airport over shot the runway and crashed. Not sure what happened after that. Definitely made you think when the reef was shallow.

Oz Trip part 2

After a couple of weeks on the Goldie we headed south to Byron Bay which is an old hippy/yuppie town. Cool place to hang if you like hanging out but less surf options than the Goldie. Lennox Head is 25minutes south and is a lovely quieter town with a beachie and a point and we hung there for a week. There is a lot of breaks within 5minutes drive.

We also headed further south to Angourie and surfed the point and back beach for a few days. Strangely even though it is quieter than further North, the points here can be more localised so you do have to watch your step. Cool campsites to hang out at and quiet open beaches to be explored. After heading back up North to Queensland I got a phone call from a friend to say the swell was going to pump in the south again so we turned the van around and headed south. I was taken to a beachbreak that resembled Puerto Escondito with thumping 6foot plus barrels with no one out. It was too big to paddle from the beach so we had to jump off a rock wall which was sketchy to say the least. Took a few poundings but got a few good ones to make it worth while. Mad to surf a beach break so big as no beach break would hold this size in Ireland with barrels the size of buses on offer.

As we were leaving the Quiksilver pro was starting and the waves disappeared. It’s a full circus but well worth a look if you ever get a chance as even in terrible waves the surfing is mind blowing.

Oz is a great surf destination mainly due to its consistency and warm water and there is plenty to do après surf. The better waves such as the points are very crowded and if you are comfortable with aggressive surfers around you may forget it however there is plenty of open beaches when the swell is smaller which are very consistent and while not amazing waves are great for improving your technique. The beach breaks are different to home and often have strong rips and shorebreaks and aren’t as user friendly to those just learning.

For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie

Oz Trip

After leaving NZ we headed off to Australia to check out the famous beachies and right points. The difference in climate between Nz and Oz was noticeable as soon as we steped out of the airport to be hit with humidity. We landed on Australia day weekend and headed to the sunshine coast for a traditional Aussie wedding/piss up with some friends. It’s a good time to hit Oz as the school holidays have finished and campsites/hire cars etc are cheaper and the surf less crowded. A lot of talk about sharks here at the moment so that kinda freaked me out.

The stretch from Angourie to the Gold Coast is pretty tropical so its boardshorts and plenty of sunscreen. The whole time we were there the swell was at least 2 to 3 foot. Its hard to read weather charts there as they are so different from home. We were getting swell off a high pressure for weeks. The open beaches are very rarely flat so there is nearly always a surfable wave. The Gold Coast is one of the most commercial surf destinations on the planet with thousands of surfers including half of the ASP world Tour living there. It can get horrendously crowded but the waves can be World Class.

At the top of the 20km strip there is Sorth Stradbroke and at the bottom D’bar which are 2 of the best, most consistent beach breaks in the world. I would hit Dbar at 4.30 most mornings and surf for 2 hours before Mick Fanning and his 500 mates would arrive. The early morning session is best as there is mainly light or no winds early before the strong sea breezes kick in. Dbar is a high performance wave which has barrels, air sections and perfect walls. To catch waves you really got to push yourself and is a good place to improve your surfing. Dbar works when no were else has a wave and can handle onshore winds. A few east swells brought the superbank to life while we were there and I competed for scraps with the huge crowd. Unlike previous trips here I actually got a decent amount of waves with the secret being to look like you mean business and paddle hard. Its such an intense crowd to surf with but when you do get waves they are so whackable you get to do 10 turns on a wave. Its such a different surf experience to Ireland in everyway. The tweed coast is only 15 minutes drive south and can be a lot quieter if you want to get out of the goldie. We did a short trip up to North Stradbroke Island which is really quiet but has a great shorebreak and a mellow vibe.

For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie

NZ SURF TRIP

Hi after Gisbourne we headed to Mahia pennisula which has to be one of the most beautiful and best places in New Zealand for a surf trip. Picks up all swells and can handle most winds and is quiet. You do need to watch access as it is tricky at spots. . Just over an hours drive from Gisboune it is a surfers dream with everything from small beachies to Huge point breaks. Sounds close at an hours drive from Gissbourne but it is fairly mountainous and remote. The swell was small when we left Gisbourne and we found a left point that was about 3 to 4 foot with no one out. Like a lot of breaks in New Zealand there was no access to the coast and you had to ask permission from the land owner who I was told was grumpy(photo of me at the top in negoiation). She was Ok with me checking it but was trying to convince me to surf a spot elsewere which was very average. I was starting to talk her around until I chickened out of surfing by myself as I got that shark fear. There is a lot of sharks about and when you are out by yourself the odds aren’t great if one is cruising and curious. They are well feed around here as the ocean is teeming with life and attacks are rare but when by yourself its easy to get spooked. Just 500m away a found another left (photo bottom left) which had 1 guy out so halfing my odds of getting bit. Was a really fun wave and considering it was a sunday afternoon in summer it was amazing only 1 guy out. Next stop Taranaki and its famous surf highway.

January waves, surfing and the environment.

Hi there. It has been a pretty good month of surf here in sunny and windy Bundoran. The swell has been consistent for the last few weeks but there have been quite a few windy days also. The trick is to keep a close eye on the ever changing wind charts and the tides. The water has been cold since Christmas but that does not deter the hardiest Irish surfers. As long as you have got good equipment you are fine for a surf lasting a couple of hours. I have recently ordered an Axxe wetsuit from Japan. These are supposed to be the best wetsuits available so I thought I would out their claims to the test. They only make custom fitted suits and the neoprene is limestone based rather than petroleum based, so they are more environmentally freindly than regular mass produces suits. Anyway, should have the suit by the end of Feb so hope to the be the warmest, most flexible surfer around. Apparently they have already sold 6 suits to Irish customers? Click here

There is a lot of talk about the impact of surfing on the environment. If you are a beginner surfer then you can definitley limit your carbon footprint by using public transport to get your destination and by using a surf school. Most Irish surfing locations are accessible by public transport, such as Bundoran, Strandhill and Lahinch. It becomes more difficult to go to some of the more remote locations such as west Mayo and west kerry, but with planning and persaverence you can do it with public transport. For Bus Eireann click here

Many surf schools are located on the beach so you dont need any transport once you get there. Other schools provide diesel minibus transfers to and from the beach from their students. Many of them have 16 seater buses so this helps reduce the carbon footprint of getting to the beach and back.

Most Irish surfing destinations are small towns where you can walk or cycle to most facilities and services. You could opt to rent a bicycle when you are there, and check the surf conditions that way, or just walk - its usually not too far to the beach. Once you are in the water then you are in a priveleged position of enjoying nature in a way that cannot be explained. If you have never surfed then I urge you to get out there and experience it. The feeling of catching your first wave will stay with you for a long time. You can also see a lot of marine life when surfing. Seals, porpoise and dolphins are regular visitors in the line up. Over Christmas in Bundoran we were treated to an amazing display of big dolphins surfing the waves at the Peak and inside left. You never forget something like that, seeing the dolphin in front of you in the wave. The Irish Surfing Association has a list of all approved surf school and clubs. Click here

Surfboard construction is probably the most environmentally damaging part of our chose sport. The foam and resin used in the construction of the board is non-biodegradable so that is a big drawback. The good news is that surfboards are strong and durable so your first board can last a long time. Most surfers have one board and that does them in most conditions. If you do snap your board then you can use it as a canvas for artwork. Surf art is becoming an increasinlgy popular way of recycling damaged boards. One local Bundoran surfboard shaper provides such a service. Click here

If you are going on a surf trip at the weekend then just get a set of straps and tie all the boards on the roof and you can easily fill the car. You could also consider buying some carbon credits to offset your trip.

Surfing is a great sport and Ireland is a great destination for surfing. There are some environmental drawbacks but overall it is reasonably low impact sport that you can enjoy at home all year round.