I love surfing
I fell in love with surfing about 10 years ago. Soon after I bought my own board and made it down to the West of Ireland as much as I could to try out the new board and wetsuit. As with most things, especially things that require a 6 hour round trip, my trips became less and less frequent, but my love of surfing remains and as my children grow older, I hope to get back in the water more frequently and introduce them to this wonderful sport and hobby. Although, I do hope they steer clear of the waves I'm about to talk to you about.
I'd prefer to see them catch some waves like these:
These ones; not so much!
These monster waves reside of Ireland's West coast in quite little spot called Mullaghmore in County Sligo.
What's its like to Surf Mullaghmore?
I have no idea! But, from what I hear it is bone crunching and you need to be an expert, and I mean an expert to take it on!
You'll see what I mean after you watch the videos below. Mullaghmore can hold waves of 50 foot, yes 50 foot. Sounds crazy doesn't it. The huge waves are made possible by the reef that lies about 100 metres offshore. This spot really bears its teeth during big Atlantic swells and that's when you will see the big wave surfers hanging around waiting for that perfect wave.
It's apparently a very dangerous surf spot as well, due to serious currents and a multitude of under water rocks which lie in wait for the surfers, and of course Ireland's cold winter weather doesn't help either - the swells that create these huge waves coincide with the Irish winter between October and February typically. This reef sees more broken bones than your local emergency room, so it really is the preserve of the worlds best surfers.
Mullaghmore has always been known in among Irish surfing circles, but it really launched itself on the International stage in 2011 when it hosted the Billabong big-wave surf contest, which brought surfers from all over the world to Ireland's West coast.
For many locals, it was the first time they saw surfers being towed into the waves by jetskis. This of course is the only way to catch theses big waves, as no person could match the speed of these waves without some sort of mechanical help. That's where the trusty jetski comes into play.
Have a look for yourself at these amazing waves - these two videos give you an idea of what the surfers are faced with at Mullaghmore during an Atlantic swell.
Thanks as always for reading.
You can find me on Steemit as well for non-sports writing, musings and photographs. https://steemit.com/@ablaze
Peace Out.
Comments