Surf's up north

During a recent weekend of research in Donegal, Hot Press uncovered some little known facts about surfing:

* Surfing is one of the fastest growing adventure sports in Ireland.
* County Donegal is one of Europe’s best (yet untapped) surfing spots.
* Australians do not develop surfing facilities in the womb, nor are they born with a pre-disposed inclination to the sport.

In this writer’s experience, the latter fact may come as the biggest surprise to readers. Contrary to what Northern Hemispherites may take from watching Home and Away, Australia is not a country of 19 million coastal dwelling surfers. In comparison to Ireland, what it does boast is a climate more favorable to sun baking, ice cream eating and, yes, water sports.
As it happened, this Australian made her surfing debut in the world class waters of Bundoran, County Donegal. My initial fears of hypothermia were quickly appeased by the confidence of fellow countryman, Brad Fleming, who drives the Surfcoach minivan service between Dublin and Bundoran. According to Brad the surfing in Donegal Bay is "world class".
"Because it’s quite far up the North Atlantic it gets these really intense weather patterns," he explains. "You get consistent swell throughout the year. And geographically, it’s got some pretty unique features. Like the way the reef is set up in the front of Bundoran there, it creates waves that break for about 300 metres on a good day.
"And even though it’s so far North, you’ve got the Gulf Stream which moderates the water temperature and keeps it quite warm. Even in the middle of winter you can still be surfing in relative comfort."
So I began to believe, after some confidence-inducing pints in Bundoran’s premier drinking emporiums.
Thankfully, not one too many, because the surfing lessons started bright and early the following day, and squeezing yourself into an already wet wetsuit is not the ideal way to wake up at the best of times. Nor is – as I discovered after bracing myself for the first icy wall of water – a remarkably warm ocean! At least 15 degrees, with a wetsuit that adds about 5 more degrees. Bless that Gulf Stream.
The swell too, was as powerful as promised, churning the sea like a tumble drier set to power-wash. The waves hit from all directions, making no discrimination between the beginners, the intermediate and the hungover.
According to Fleming, the tumble drier effect is caused by onshore winds: "‘Onshore’ means the wind is blowing from the sea to the land, and the offshore winds are the reverse. With onshore winds you get lots of messy whitecaps, but offshore winds flatten and smooth them off nicely."
One of the things that no one warns you about surfing – particularly with the greater fear of hypothermia at hand - is the extent of physical exertion involved in surfing. Gidget makes it look so easy in her skimpy little bikini; somehow, the full piece wetsuits aren’t as flattering, particularly when you’re thrown arseways off the board and dumped under a pounding wave like a ragdoll.
Nevertheless, the instructors at the Donegal Adventure Centre kept the goal of standing up and riding a wave within much further reach than anticipated. With a certain amount of manoeuvring they can all get you 50% of the way - choose the wave, line you up, hold you still and tell you when. The other 50% is pure muscle. The first time I managed about three seconds and an extended "Woohoo!". After a few hours my record standing time remained at "Woohooooooo! Surf’s up!". Even still, two sessions of surfing was enough to leave me with an unprecedented natural high. Not to mention a new understanding of the obsessive streak common to surfers the world over.
Originally from Perth and now based in Dublin, Brad Fleming has been surfing since he was six years old, "but it’s been a real addiction for the last 20 years". Working his weekday job in computer networking, Fleming has come to rely on his weekend role – driving the minivan service to Bundoran – as a matter of mental health. "Surfing is the perfect escape from the insanity of Dublin," he says.
Alongside Donegal, Sligo, and Tramore in Waterford, Fleming says that Lahinch is among the most popular surfing hubs in Ireland. "There’s some very good breaks down that way but it’s a lot more crowded for some unknown reason. The waves around Bundoran are far better and the craic is mightier," he adds with a smile.
One of the biggest attractions of Bundoran – and the reason why it consistently draws a seasonal population of surfers from Australia, South Africa and England – is that the surfing industry is yet to be exploited.
"There’s still a lot of untapped surfing areas in Ireland," says Fleming. "But there’s not enough surfers to warrant going looking for them. You get uncrowded waves in Bundoran and there’s still room for hundreds more surfers."
Bundoran also boasts one of the largest and best developed surfing schools in Ireland, the Donegal Adventure Centre. Venture further into Bundoran town and you’ll even more weird and wonderful amusements (in every sense of the word). A million miles from the hustle and hustling of Dublin, this charming seaside town is the perfect place to escape for a weekend and feel like you’ve been away a week. The fairground – complete with ageing ferris wheel, shooting ducks and dodgy ghost train – is situated right on the cliff’s edge, beside Water World. And if all else fails, there’s also ten pin bowling, amusement arcades and seaweed baths – perfect for the post-surfing aches and pains.
From September 30 to October 3 is the ideal time to experience 'Fundoran' in all its glory. The first ever Ocean Festival will tempt visitors with free surf and kayak lessons, a Surfer’s Ball (complete with ‘ocean food’ and an ocean art exhibiton), various Surf Rescue and surfing forums, a surfing film festival (featuring the 1978 classic, Big Wednesday amongst others) and an array of musical talent. Headlined by The Undertones and Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, the musical events – held over the four nights in different venues - will also showcase legendary local bands Box-T (the old school) and Inuendo (the new school), amongst others. hotpress was lucky enough to catch both outfits in action, and would offer an enthusiastic thumbs-up to anyone without hesitation.

For more information on the Ocean Festival, check out www.bundoranocean.com. To make enquiries with Surf Coach, log on to www.surfcoach.ie