General
Portrush is the hub of Northern Irelands surf scene and is a busy tourist town in the summer. Portrush hosts the Irish leg of the British surf tour every Autumn. The seaside town is home to many surf shops, bars, nightclubs and nightclubs. There is also alot of worthwhile scenery in the local area with the drive to the Giants Causeway being the highlight. Portrush is easily accessible from Belfast by bus and train and with many cheap airlines is easily accessible.
The Surf
The surf is mostly beachbreaks however there are a few river mouths and sandbars to be found if you befreind some of the locals. Malin Head tends to block off small to medium west swells so works best in North Swells or big west swells. Portballintrae is the swell sucker of the area and can have a wave when the rest of the coast is flat. The East strand is probably the best beach breaks but needs a big swell to work but does have shelter from the predominate south west winds.
The Climate
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.
