Surfing: Which Way Do They Break in Galway Bay?
Written by playerpress.com, Monday May 18 2009
Remember the movie Endless Summer. You know the one where the two guys follow the summer season around the globe to delight in endless sun, sand and surf. Well, surfing in the UK and Ireland is about as far away from the endless summer as you can get without having to wear a fur lined wet suit. But, the waves cast their spell on many, including those who live in the land of Big Ben, the home of Guinness and guys who wear kilts.
Surfing in Ireland and England is more like endless autumn and calls for patience, predominately long boards and wet suits. The UK surf community is intrepid and has a variety of web sites to both honor their passion and provide info to fellow surfers. My favorite is coldwatersoul. The name sums it up and the site is made up of postings that list surf sites in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. The majority of pictures on the site are black and white, but the grey gradations best sum up the conditions and the locations. These aren’t places where bikini clad beach bunnies are sitting by a bonfire lustily watching surfer dudes strum their guitars. These spots are cold, windy, choppy and rocky. It takes a cold water soul to handle these waves.
For instance, if you wish to surf today at Brandon Bay in Southwest Ireland you would have 7’ swells. But, you would also be dealing with 17mph winds and a temp of 11C/51F. That’s the air temp, not the water temp. Ride the wild surf while you can, but a shot of Tullamore Dew and a stout are in order when you return.
Still, these hardy souls have their own pro events. The UK Pro Surf Tour is in full swing with an event planned for this weekend at Downend Croyde, North Devon. Surprisingly, it is a South African, Reubin Pearce who is currently atop the men’s listings. He must have practiced surfing in a refrigerator before leaving the sunny shores of South Africa for the mist shrouded beaches of the UK.
The Saltrock Open officially kicks off the ’09 pro tour of nine events. Saltrock is considered the biggest and features some of the best surf the UKPST will encounter on their stops. Devon’s break is celebrated in the UK and conditions are being forecasted as “epic” for the weekend event.
The Saltrock Open is hosting four categories; men’s open, pro junior’s, women’s open and the grom’s tour. The grom’s is open to boys under 12, boys under 16 and girls under 16. Last year’s winner in the women’s category was Nicole Morgan. She ripped out of Saltrock and dominated the tour by losing only one heat for the remainder of the events. Morgan proved to be the queen of the UKPST and a person worthy of being known as a cold water soul.
The only thing yet to be determined is which Croyde pub will be the site of the after event party. Maybe they should all stock up on Tullamore Dew and Guinness in case they are chosen.
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I've always wondered if there was surfing in the North Sea and North Atlantic, or if the coast was too craggy to support consistent sets. Glad to see the sport truly is an international love affair!