An intense low pressure system deepening to 948mb at its centre formed on Friday the 9th December between Newfoundland and Greenland and then tracked East over the North Atlantic. Critically the storm force winds continued as the storm travelled, building size into the swell as it progressed.
The battle for the surfers wasn't so much riding this giant swell (A), but managing to do so before the arrival of a second larger storm (B) forecast to bring treacherous winds to the coast. With the Billabong Tow in Session competition in its holding period, contest organiser Paul O'Kane and magicseaweed forecaster Ben Freeston deliberated over the potential for contestable conditions and decided that, whilst there would likely be some amazing surf in the morning, the arrival of dangerous winds later in the day was, given the need for several hours of competition, enough reason for caution. The few hours window just wasn't enough to get the event up and down, infrastructure and all.
As predicted, Monday morning delivered a brief calm before the storm with waves in excess of 40ft recorded on the offshore wave buoys and surfers both towing and paddling into giant surf at Mullaghmore before 50mph+ winds and a brief respite in the swell made further surfing impossible. The following day saw the full brunt of the arrival of the second storm, with winds in excess of 70mph and the largest wave yet recorded in the area, a staggering 67ft being recorded on the offshore wave buoy.
While this wave was a record breaker the technology to measure these huge swells has only relatively recently been deployed off the coast of Ireland. The real story is that this is quite possibly a far from unusual scenario, with Ireland perfectly positioned to receive the full brunt of the North Atlantic winter and our forecast archives, stretching back over 15 years, suggest that swells in the 40-60ft range are an almost annual occurrence.
ASTONISHING! Have to keep re-watching this because my brain can't take it all in! Evil wave with the guys just going for it. Would love to see Danny Skaj's waves too though.
Ermmm I can't see anywhere in the sentence: "I had to go up to Ferg and Tom at one point to tell them that they are total legends. Total... Friggin... Legends." any reference to who first surfed it, how big the waves were, comparisons to Chopes or anything else you ranted about. Ferg and Tom ARE total friggin legends and you sir are a total friggin wank!
So if you were there watching why didn't you paddle out there with your big ego and show everyone how it should be done, or is that why you're so bitter because you couldn't. It would have been way more effective and positive than having a winge from behind your computer screen and if you're so sick of the Irish surf scene why are you still here.
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that's priceless ed, and its not just the delivery, its your timing...
Well Younss...Ed probably needs a pat on the head every once in awhile...just like the rest of us weeders...It's not like I said he was...'awesome'...or anything...I would have mentioned that old saying about a blind pig and truffles...but 'The Silver Hammer' has a lower threshold than usual lately...and I don't want to push my luck...=^0
Awesome surfing and awesome vid made even more awesome with that awesome track!!! ok, maybe a little overboard on the awesomes, better chuck in a sick!
Can someone local explain how it has been howling onshore all week in most of the UK but the waves here are looking offshore? Is it because the centre of the low tracks over here so its good for a few hours?
Fairplay to Tom and Ferg, legends for paddling that. So much for no towing when there is lads paddling!!!!!! We can all be out there in our skies flying around the place.
Its very much down to the guys in the water to decide how to go about things if there's paddlers out there. Mully will only give you a few paddleable waves anyway at that size, I saw the whole session and they only paddled for about 10% of what came through. I don't think the whole tow crew is going to sit on the shore and watch all those waves go to waste, waiting for their turn. It worked well out there and everyone got their share.
Tom and Ferg have towed plenty of times when there's been paddlers(Rileys, Aileens and more), but they all have an understanding together. Whoever is towing always asks the paddlers if it's ok to tow on the bigger ones and if the paddlers get caught on the inside the tow guys will always go get them out of the shit
makes me proud to be an irish surfer watching the riding, documentation and responsible organisation of such sessions of huge consequence. irish surfing has been dragged kicking and screaming in the past few yrs to this point and long may these lads continue to do what they do so well safely.
Er... if you say so mate :) Your comment was a reply to Porty's i guess... (ps: what's wrong with being Irish? sick waves, sick drinks, one of the most beautiful island on earth with not much people in the water, cool crazy party animals...)
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Ed Magicseaweed
surfsoul160 days ago
