Remember swell from ex-hurricane Erin? A complete summer anomaly and one that will be remembered as the largest most brutish August swell for the UK in almost three decades.
Now, with the September swell season in full swing, we’re likely to see these ex-hurricanes travel across a hyped-up North Atlantic and deliver surf for the western flank of Europe. So woohoo!
But also, as with most hurricane swells, we’re likely to see jarring onshore wind for this part of the globe, mixed with a strong W swell that will dominate and overpower the south west beaches.
Looking further north and it’s not much better, until Humberto blows through and we see the remains of the swell look more positive for the likes of Thurso. But this is still a long way out and hurricane swell is notoriously difficult to predict.
Ireland over the next few days could have some gold. Tomorrow, a straight W swell out of the North Atlantic is set to land, 6ft@11 seconds, which should light up some of the more popular haunts, coupled with a moderate southerly wind.
Wind from Ex-hurricane Humberto, winding into the UK and Ireland. Pic from Windy.
One potentially exciting swell scenario could be Portugal. A cleaner run that what we say with Erin and setting up nicely for a few days of XL Nazare. Nothing record-shattering. This isn’t the swell like when Sebastian Steudtner broke the world record for biggest wave ever surfed (and then broke his own record again last year), but it could be a warm up session, if you don’t mind a bumpy 30-to-40ft face with some wind on it. And, given the crew on the ground, we know they don’t mind that.
Your best bet at the moment is to keep an eye on a mix of forecasting platforms and make a decision on Friday, a full 24 hours before the swell hits and gives you enough time to pivot plans. If you keep in mind that sheltered spots are likely your go to, and prep for that, you won’t be disappointed when you turn up to the local and it’s a mess.
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We won’t be going hard on coverage for this one as it’s a fairly typical September swell. But we will be bringing you updates throughout. Stay tuned!