New wave

North-west Ireland’s beaches are a top hang-out for extreme surfers, and now that the secret’s out, more and more people are riding their waves Words: Alf Alderson MOST NON-SURFERS are surprised to learn that there is any surf at all on north-west Ireland’s wild and often inclement coast. But in the last year, the world of big wave surfing received the opportunity of [...]

North-west Ireland’s beaches are a top hang-out for extreme surfers, and now that the

secret’s out, more and more people are riding their waves


Words: Alf Alderson

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_044.jpg">
MOST NON-SURFERS are surprised
to learn that there is any surf at all
on north-west Ireland’s wild and
often inclement coast. But in the
last year, the world of big wave
surfing received the opportunity
of a lifetime in the most unlikely of locations: some of
the most gigantic waves ever ridden boomed ashore at
Mullaghmore Head, on the Sligo and Donegal coast.

Big wave surfers, like 27-year-old Alistair Mennie from
Portrush, Co Antrim, have spent years exploring and surfing
the region’s breaks: “I’ve been surfing at Mullaghmore for
seven years and ridden big waves here, but this day was just
off the scale – I’d never seen anything like it before.”

He wasn’t the only one. Crowds lined the headland to
watch as waves with faces of 50-feet and more thundered
ashore, and pro surfers Mennie and his South African ‘towin’
partner Duncan Scott, along with England’s Gabe Davies
and Ireland’s Richie Fitzgerald, took it in turn to ride them.

“You don’t want to make any mistakes,” says Mennie.
“The waves at Mullaghmore break a quarter of a mile out
to sea and roll in out of 33-metre water to hit a rock shelf
only 4.5 metres deep. So in a wipeout, there’s the chance of
being slammed onto the reef, or held underwater for over a
minute. And the water is stone cold, which doesn’t help.”

alt="Mullaghmore Head, on the Sligo and Donegal coast"
src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_045.jpg">
In return for the risks, however, you get the ultimate
ride. “Incredible, terrifying and ridiculous” are just some of
the adjectives Mennie uses to describe the experience.

“It’s only when you’ve safely ridden the wave and look
back to see the next one rolling in that you realise what
you’ve done,” he says, “that you’ve literally escaped from
the jaws of the beast.”

Tremendous waves, such as these, pound much of the
coast of counties Sligo, Donegal and Antrim throughout
the winter. But we’re not suggesting you might like to give
these a go yourself. In summer, the waves have a smaller
swell but still provide small to big surf, making the region
a hot destination for ‘normal’ surfers, or even beginners.

Surrounded as the coastline is by the stormy waters
of the North Atlantic, there are few places in the world
that have such consistent, quality waves, and although
water temperatures obviously don’t compare to Hawaii
or southern California, a good wetsuit more than
compensates for the chill (some of which is offset anyway
by the warming effect of the Gulf Stream).

alt="Surfing at sunset on a warm summer’s evening at Portrush"
src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_046.jpg">
On top of this, the prevailing winds are south-westerly,
so, unlike the case of more popular surfing regions in the
British Isles such as Cornwall and Devon, this creates perfect
‘offshore’ conditions, which hold up the face of a breaking
wave to give great rides, and even the chance to get
‘barrelled’ (tucked inside the curl of the breaking wave).

The Causeway Coast of Co Antrim – about a one-hour
drive from Belfast – is a good place to start any surfing
journey of the region. Many of the surfers who come here use
the busy seaside resort of Portrush as a base. This is Northern
Ireland’s ‘Surf City’, with a range of breaks to suit all abilities
of surfer (see box below for Mennie’s recommendations),
as well as a good choice of bars, restaurants and
accommodation for some no less important aprés surf.

The coastline here is probably one of the least known and
most underrated for surfing in the British Isles. There is, of
course, the unmissable Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage
Site, a few miles east of Portrush. But who would know that the
longest beach on the island of Ireland can be reputedly found
to the west of Portrush at Magilligan? And the panoramas
along the beautiful Antrim coast, and across to Scotland and
Co Donegal’s remote Inishowen Peninsula, are unforgettable.

alt="Surfers’ paradise – East Strand, Portrush, on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast"
src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_052.jpg">
Of course it’s where the Co Donegal and Co Sligo
coastlines converge that you’ll find north-west Ireland’s
ultimate surfing destination – Mullaghmore, about a threehour
drive from Belfast. Aside from the attraction of huge
swells and high winds, brewed up by the area’s volatile
North Atlantic conditions, international surfing aficionados
also make the journey here for the relatively empty waters,
as well as the inclination on the part of local surfers to share
the waves, allowing them to surf and relax undisturbed.

There are many more excellent surfing spots dotted
along this magnificent stretch of coast, at places like Easkey,
Enniscrone and Strandhill in Co Sligo, and Bundoran, Tullan
Strand and Ballyheirnan Bay in Co Donegal, and surfing
tuition is widely available. The unpredictable weather means
that most of the aprés surf happens indoors – in the local
pubs mainly. But that can only be another good reason to go.

Few of us will ever ride the kind of monster swell that
Mennie and his friends conquered at Mullaghmore, but even
if you’re not ready to chase such giants quite just yet, northwest
Ireland is simply a great place for surfing, year round.

HANG FIVE

NORTH-WEST IRELAND’S
TOP SUMMER SURF SPOTS

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_053.jpg">
Whitewater/West Strand, Portrush, Co Antrim
Whitewater has a sandy beach and is overlooked by the ruins of
Dunluce Castle. “It’s good for all abilities of surfer,” says Alistair
Mennie, “and will get waves from one foot (beginners) to 15 feet
(experts only!). The waves at West Strand are easy to surf and occur
consistently year-round, making it a good beginner’s break.”

Portstewart, Co Antrim
This big sandy beach owned by the National Trust “is a good option
for beginners as the waves are not too powerful,” advises Mennie.

Portballintrae, Co Antrim
Downstream of the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, you can smell
the goods when the winds are offshore. According to Mennie,
“There’s often a wave here when everywhere else is flat and it’s
very consistent and can get very big.”

Bundoran/Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal
Seaside town Bundoran has a celebrated beach culture, and has
hosted the European Surfing Championships and the Quiksilver
World Masters. In the 1960s nearby Rossnowlagh was one of the
first places in Ireland to be surfed and is still popular today.

Easkey/Enniscrone/Strandhill, Co Sligo
These Sligo beaches have an international following among
surfers – Irish pro surfer Easkey Britton is even named after one.

BACK TO SCHOOL

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_054.jpg">

SURFING FILMS

Take inspiration from the celluloid surf classics

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_055.jpg">
The Endless Summer (1966)
In what is one of the first surfing movies ever made, famous surf
documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown follows Mike Hynson and
Robert August around the world in search of the perfect wave. This
film is credited with launching the “surf-and-travel” culture.

Big Wednesday (1978)
It may have been a flop when it first came out but Big Wednesday
has become a surfing classic. Three Californian surfers (Gary Busey,
Jan-Michael Vincent and William Katt, above) grow up facing the
Vietnam war – and the biggest swell California has seen for years.

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_056.jpg">
Point Break (1991)
Despite his lack of natural surfing
ability, FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu
Reeves) goes undercover to infiltrate
a community of surfers believed to
be connected to a criminal gang,
‘The Ex-Presidents’. Along the way,
he develops a friendship with surfer
Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) in one of the
ultimate ‘buddy’ movies.

Blue Crush (2002)
The movie that launched the career of actress Kate Bosworth
centres on a group of female surfers whose first love is the sport.
When ambitious Anne Marie Chadwick (Bosworth) tries to find
room for a love life as well as her competitive surfing, she
has her work cut out for her.

src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/june/voyager_june_057.jpg">
Step Into Liquid (2003)
Dana Brown, son of Bruce,
carries on the family tradition
with a documentary that
includes footage of some of
the largest waves in the world
at Cortes Bank, a chain of
underwater mountains off the
coast of San Diego, USA.

Waveriders (2008)
A documentary film charting
a group of surfers as they
prepare to ‘tow surf’ a
giant swell of waves at
Mullaghmore, north-west
Ireland. From the maker of
Eye Of The Storm (2002), about two surfers riding monsters off south
Donegal, Waveriders won the Audience Award at the 2008 Dublin
International Film Festival.

Visit Flybmi.com to book flights

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.


Cover shot of the latest issue of Voyager Read the latest issue of Voyager Magazine, the inflight magazine of bmi.






Advertisements