Rossnowlagh
General
Home to the annual Intercounties contest Rossnowlagh is best surfed on a mid to high tide, and has plenty of space all along the beach to accommodate any number of surfers. The waves here tend to be more mellow than Bundoran, so it is a good option if Tullan is big. Good conditions for learning. Rossnowlagh also picks up south swell. Offshore in east and south east winds. Located five miles from Ballyshannon.
Climate/Water temp
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.
