General
Lahinch is a quaint seaside town in Co. Clare with a stunning hinterland. It offers perfect surf for everyone from first timers at Lahinch beach to tow-in surfers at the Cliffs of Moher. Lahinch is probably Irelands busiest surf town and has a great surfy atmosphere during the summer and most weekends. The town is a great base for exploring the surf potential of Clare from Fanore to Doonbeg.
The Surf
There is a variety of surf breaks to suit all standards and nearly all have epic views. Clare is most famous for its gentle lefthand pointbreaks and heaving slab waves for manics. Recently the tow in footage from Aileens has placed lahinch on the world surf map. Lahinch beach break is situated in the middle of the town and is great for learners and intermediate surfers with gentle random peaks spread up and down the beach. The southern end of the beach has a collection of lefthand pointbreaks which are best suited to intermediate/experienced surfer. The points have relativly easy drops and can get crowded as there is a keen local crew however if you get your timing right and show respect you will get waves. If the points are breaking and you fancy something heavier you dont have to search too hard. Spanish point to the south offers a variety of reef and beach options which are good without being epic. Doonbeg to the south is the swell sucker espicially in small west swells and is a saviour in summer. Located bang in the middle of an exclusive golf course Doonbeg is a great beach break for all standards and can occasionally have great banks. When its on its orne of Irelands best beach breaks.
The climate/water temp/seasons
A 3/2 wetsuit is fine from May to September with water temps in the 12 to 16 degrees range. The Irish weather is as hard to predict as the lottery and is very unpredicably. The gulf ctream does warm the water and it can be warmer than you would expect.
The Autumn (September/October) is often descibed as the surf season as the water temp is still warm from the summer and hurricanes swells can produce big surf in the 6 to 10foot range. It can also be the time of year when there is crowds athe more famous reef breaks but seek and you can still find. A 4/3 is the best suit at this time of year.
The summer/spring is great for beginner/intermediate surfers as the smaller swells can mean good waves on the open beaches. The long days also allow us to surf after 11pm but the summer can produce long flat spells. Also when there is good waves it can be less crowded than the Autumn.
The winter is cold and dark with strong winds but if with plenty of sheltered breaks the surf can be epic. Often no problem with swell but chasing the offshore wind is crucial. A 5/3 suit is essential but search arround and you can find empty world class waves.
