Surf’s up as spectacular conditions to test the best

The Outlook: THE weekend ahead is the typical mix we have come to expect over the last few weekends. Heavy winds, cold temperatures, some heavy showers and beautiful sunny spells make this weekend another mixed bag. Saturday will be the best of the days with plenty of sunshine and little or no rain. The south and east will get a battering of heavy gusts but it should be dry for the most parts.

By Sunday the rain starts to creep across most of the country. The wind direction will swing from a west south west to a more northerly but don’t blink as it is liable to change any second of the day. Temperatures will not get past 10 degrees and expect some icy conditions in the early am and late pm. All this extreme weather can be explained away by the motley crew of lows that are surrounding Ireland over the next few days.

These lows are super powerful and the result of that can be seen on Friday.

However, the pattern of movement from these lows will mean Ireland is sandwiched between a number of fronts and so some sunny, dry but cold and windy weather can be expected.

As for surf: I can sum it up in one word....gangbusters! Big powerful swell will be seen on all north, west, south and south east beaches. Now when I say big, I mean big. This is not the weekend to try to paddle out to that exposed unsurfed reef break 40 minutes off shore. This is more a weekend to find your local protected surf spot and enjoy what you can. There are a handful of surfers out there who can take on big waves off the north and west coast and this weekend will see them surf waves well over 45 feet. A great spectacle but not to be tried by everyone.

With hold downs in excess of 60 seconds dragging surfers underwater for up to 50 metres and pushing surfers to depths that will burst your ear drums and temperatures close to 5 degrees C with wind chill, you really need to be an expert surfer and have lots of support on hand. As for the vast majority of us there is plenty on offer and by picking the right spot and watching the wind direction I can guarantee some epic rides this weekend up and down the country.

On the news front there is only one topic worth reporting this week and that is Kelly Slater. In no other sport will you find a competitor like Kelly Slater and last weekend he won his 10th world title in the Association of Surfing Professional World Tour. Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Pele and even the mighty Christy Ring fall by the wayside when compared to the legend that is Slater. Down through the years I have interviewed most of the great surfers but Slater has always avoided my notepad. After winning this world breaking 10th title I can see that interview getting further away than ever before but a write/surfer always lives in hope.

SWELL SIZE

North West - Tomorrow, 7ft plus; cross on shore; Sunday - 6 foot plus; cross off shore.

West - Tomorrow, 8ft plus: cross on shore; Sunday, 52ft; cross on shore.

South - Tomorrow, 6ft plus; cross off shore; Sunday, 52ft plus; cross off shore.

TIDES

Tomorrow - South: 10am; Southwest: 11apm; Northwest: 11am; East: 4.30am; Southeast: 10am

Sunday - South: 9am; Southwest: 10am; Northwest 12 noon; East: 5.25pm; Southeast: 11am

CLIMATE

South: Tomorrow starts of with some sunny spells and thinning cloud. As mid afternoon approaches expect to see the cloud cover thicken slightly. The rest of the day will remain dry and windy until late in the afternoon when there is a risk of some localised showers. The worst of the rain will fall in the late afternoon but it will be light if at all. The day ending dry, cold and clear. Sunday will have a sunny, bright and clear start. As the morning moves on expect to see some cloud cover with the odd sunny spell but showers are never far away. The rest of the evening will see clear skies and dry conditions.

Daytime temps ranging from 9°C tomorrow to 10°C on Sunday. Wind strong F4 plus WSW veering SW and dropping fast. Sunday winds are moderate F2 plus W veering NW and dropping.

South West: Tomorrow starts off with some sunny spells and thinning cloud. As mid afternoon approaches expect to see the cloud cover thicken slightly. The rest of the day will remain dry and windy until late in the afternoon when there is a risk of some localised showers. The worst of the rain will fall in the late afternoon but it will be light. The day ending dry, cold and clear. Sunday will have a sunny, bright and clear start. As the morning moves on expect to see some cloud cover with the odd sunny spell but showers are never far away. The rest of the evening will see an increase in cloud cover and heavy showers to end the weekend. Daytime temps ranging from 8°C tomorrow to 7°C on Sunday. Wind moderate F3 plus WSW veering SW and dropping fast. Sunday winds are moderate F2 plus W veering NW and dropping.

North West: Tomorrow starts off with some sunny spells, very cold and thinning cloud. As mid afternoon approaches expect to see the cloud cover thicken slightly. The rest of the day will remain dry until late in the afternoon when there is a risk of some localised showers. The worst of the rain will fall in the late afternoon but it will be light if at all. The day ending cold with some showers falling as snow on higher ground. Sunday will have a sunny, bright and clear start. As the morning moves on expect to see some cloud cover with the odd sunny spell but showers are never far away. The rest of the evening will see clear skies and very cold temps with some snow on high grounds. Daytime temps ranging from 7°C tomorrow to 67°C on Sunday. Wind light F2 plus WSW veering NW and dropping fast. Sunday winds are moderate F2 plus W veering NW and dropping.

East: Tomorrow starts of with some sunny spells, strong gusts and thinning cloud. As mid afternoon approaches expect to see the cloud cover thicken slightly. The rest of the day will remain dry and windy until late in the afternoon when there is a very slight risk of some localised showers. The day ending dry, cold and clear. Sunday will have a overcast damp start. As the morning moves on expect to see an increase in cloud cover with the odd sunny spell but showers are never far away. The rest of the evening will end cold and wet. Daytime temps ranging from 8°C tomorrow to 8°C on Sunday. Wind strong F5 plus WSW veering SW and dropping. Sunday winds are moderate F2 plus W veering E and building.

BUOYS

South: West south west winds 24knts with west swell of 25ft every 10sec pressure rising.

West: West winds 26kts with west swell of 30ft every 10sec pressure rising.

North West: West winds 408knts with west swell 35ft every 10sec pressure falling.