Overcrowded

g-punkteffekt

Is surfing turning into the latest fad in Ireland? Do you think it'll continue to grow and grow? Last time I was down there I met a group of posh D4 Trinity "heads", apparently they were the Trinity Surf Club or something. Anyway one of the girls had never even surfed before, it was freezing cold mid january in sligo and she had all the gear - the board shorts, the Reef flip flops, billabong t-shirt etc... And in fact I met her the following night and she told me she never even went surfing because it was too cold!
Seems to be a lot of attraction to it for the D4 crew. Strandhill is pretty much JAMMERS every time there are good conditions at the weekends now, so I wont be going there in future. I'm in NZ now and will be here for a while, but the beach I surf at here is in a suburb of the city (the only break in the city), and it's nowhere near as packed as Strandhill on a Saturday with perfect conditions, I can have a whole section of the beach to myself. This is in warmer conditions too! Now I know Strandhill isn't the only beach but Lahinch is the same, as I'm sure are others.
Is it because it's pretty much the only thing to do outdoors in Ireland? It's great here because there's no etiquette about it, normal people finish at the office and go for a surf. In Sligo you can usually spot the Dublin weekenders a mile away, dressed in all the gear, talking like tw@s...
Thoughts?

lightening

g-punkteffekt wrote:

I'm in NZ now and will be here for a while

g-punkteffekt wrote:

so I wont be going there in future

I gues that's one less person on the beach (if I was to think like that)

It's a free country g-punk, bad manners is unexcusable, but country folk are perfectly welcome in Dublin, always have been. I would expect Dublin people are welcome in the country as long as they behave themselves.

As for the girl walking the walk and talking the talk, she is doing no harm. She is young and probably into the "scene" You say she didn't go out surfing in the end then she isn't causing overcrowding, give her a break.

g-punkteffekt wrote:

Is it because it's pretty much the only thing to do outdoors in Ireland?

No. I partake in other outdoor activities.

g-punkteffekt wrote:

Strandhill is pretty much JAMMERS every time there are good conditions

I was there in mid Feb and we were the only ones out (three really cold Dubs)

g-punkteffekt wrote:

In Sligo you can usually spot the Dublin weekenders a mile away

I will continue to go to Sligo at the weekend, I will continue to spend money in the bars, hotels, surf shops and campsites all owned by helpful friendly Sligo people. If I am not welcome, I havent seen any sign of it.

You g-punk are always welcome in Dublin to use our amenities, even if you cause a bit of overcrowding, that's fine. I'm not a D4 Trinity "head" as you put it, but give them a chance, they might be alright.

learnerplates

I did notice that in Strandhill too but there's lots of locals too who drive round all week with the board on the roof but don't surf for months.
No harm done I think, they won't interfere with the real surfers waves anyway, especially from the car park or seaweed spa:)

lightening

learnerplates wrote:

seaweed spa:)

I have a seaweed bath evertime I go to Sligo!

learnerplates

Good for you Lightning.

Bagofpeas

Gotta say I agree with Lightening. Ireland is NOT crowded. Going to Hossegor in 3 weeks. THAT will be but its just the way it goes. Surfing is a limited resource but if you cant handle crowds, theres hundreds of quality breaks along the West coast that are hardly surfed at all. Also RE: the surf girl- beginners gotta start somewhere and if she doesnt actually surf she doesnt add to the crowd. Girls in boardies standing around and looking pretty are great!

P.S. If you are surfing NZ try to get to Taupiri bay and Te Ari Point. Beautiful, beautiful spots and great surf. Raglan is also RIDICULOUS! Gonna start getting colder now tho

DAVE_K

I don't think Ireland is too crowded either. Sure Lahinch and Strandhill can get busy on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Get down there real early and you can get the place pretty quiet for a while. They do also have the benefit of drawing the crowds leaving the more secluded breaks down the road pretty empty.
As for D4 heads and that - who cares what anyone does as long as they don't drop in on you

lightening

DAVE_K wrote:

As for D4 heads and that - who cares what anyone does as long as they don't drop in on you

Good attitude... (don't mean to sound patronising there Dave) As long as they leave the place as they found it. No harm in having a snigger at their accents though!

Roight!

neon_glows

Dublin surfers are grand as for the triners they were down at the intervarsitys and did queit well wining the bodyboard section and cleared up in the expression session.

I found the triners a great craic, they all were surfing, they all partyd hard and were all there willing to lend a hand, i couldnt say anything bad about them and of course there are always going to be posers.

Theres many posers living by the seaside too. As lightening pointed out the D4 surfers keep most local surf shops, small town pubs and cafe's in business, if you dont want them up west we in waterford would be happy to have them.

Iv nothing against posers, they give a good image to the whole surf scene and if there up for giving it a go why not, i run a surf club with 300+ members, only half of them have ever surferd. Go figue but we get a college grant based on teh 300+ and not the 150 so I aint complaining.

Shane_C

I wonder why it is such a southside thing though? As far as I know trinity surf club is one of their biggest clubs but there is only a handful of surfers in DCU. I live on the northside and other than close friends I don't know a single surfer in my area.

lightening

Shane_C wrote:

I wonder why it is such a southside thing though?

I guess Northsiders are more in to traditional sports, soccer, GAA and the like. I'm a Northsider, but have been in to watersports for years. A bit more cash on the Southside might mean access to cars at an earlier age.

Bagofpeas

go to donnabate and you'll find North side surfers most evenings

Griff77

There's surf in Donabate? Yea i think there's loads of northside surfers it's just that, our southside cousins stand out that little bit more...

g-punkteffekt

Bagofpeas wrote:

Raglan is also RIDICULOUS! Gonna start getting colder now tho

Raglan is awesome, unfortunately it's a 6 hour drive from here. Just back from Lyall bay, beautiful weather/waves today. It never gets as cold here as in Ireland so it's all good.

For the record, I never said I had a problem with Dublin surfers, it's these D4 heads who just jump on the bandwagon and wear all the gear and talk like morons, driving BMW SUVs, wearing stupid Abercrombie hoodies. They just get on my nerves. Not an ounce of craic in them down the boozers, all keep in their little groups. This is what I saw every weekend anyway.

g-punkteffekt

Shane_C wrote:

I wonder why it is such a southside thing though?

Because they've seen people surfing in the OC, I think

book smarts

Ireland is NOT crowded.

Enygma

It can be crowded at some spots (at some spots 15 people is a crowd) but its not OVERcrowded amd I don't think it ever will be really.

g-punkteffekt

g-punkteffekt wrote:

Is surfing turning into the latest fad in Ireland? Do you think it'll continue to grow and grow? Last time I was down there I met a group of posh D4 Trinity "heads", apparently they were the Trinity Surf Club or something. Anyway one of the girls had never even surfed before, it was freezing cold mid january in sligo and she had all the gear - the board shorts, the Reef flip flops, billabong t-shirt etc... And in fact I met her the following night and she told me she never even went surfing because it was too cold!
Seems to be a lot of attraction to it for the D4 crew. Strandhill is pretty much JAMMERS every time there are good conditions at the weekends now, so I wont be going there in future. I'm in NZ now and will be here for a while, but the beach I surf at here is in a suburb of the city (the only break in the city), and it's nowhere near as packed as Strandhill on a Saturday with perfect conditions, I can have a whole section of the beach to myself. This is in warmer conditions too! Now I know Strandhill isn't the only beach but Lahinch is the same, as I'm sure are others.
Is it because it's pretty much the only thing to do outdoors in Ireland? It's great here because there's no etiquette about it, normal people finish at the office and go for a surf. In Sligo you can usually spot the Dublin weekenders a mile away, dressed in all the gear, talking like tw@s...
Thoughts?

Awh new people taking up surfing and getting in your way? how dare they? I msut say to the next "posh D4 trinners head" that theyre not allowed surf cos some people dont like it and that we want them to stay in Dublin and play rugby or hockey cos thats where they belong.


Who are u to say what people can and cant do??


Elitist crap. Ive been doin martial arts for a long time and am a big fan of the UFC and that has become, so to speak the latest "fad" among a lot of people and i personally think thats great? What exactly is your problem? overcrowding? Ok granted the beach can fill up, but there are plenty of reef spots u dont just have to stay to the beach.....whats ur problem, a girl whos keen but decides its too cold for her? Oh no, how dare she. She should just stay at home and do nothing.

Granted the college surf clubs are as much of a social trip as they are a surf trip but really whats the problem with people enjoying themselves??



U dont like it? Tough balls.

Enygma

Not that I completely agree with the OPs point but overcrowding does have a hugely negative affect on surfing. It is a limited resource, there are only so many breaks and they are only working on certain days.

Drawing an analogy to UFC or martial arts isn't really the same thing, ye can really practice that almost anywhere and certainly at any time.

Granted the college surf clubs are as much of a social trip as they are a surf trip but really whats the problem with people enjoying themselves??

Now that's one thing that really pisses me off, if you're out in the ocean it's not a social trip, pay attention! So many times I've seen guys hanging onto their boards chatting away and not paying attention to the sets. As soon as a set comes, their boards go flying. It's not safe and it's not on.

As for girls wearing all the gear and not actually doing it? How bad!

lightening

Enygma wrote:

As for girls wearing all the gear and not actually doing it? How bad!

I'm all for those skimpy bikinis... surfer or not.

darrragh

so you are in NZ living and surfing in a city
Oh god help you ,the last of the great adventures.
I think travelling is great to see different places surf different waves,and then tell everyone how crap things are at home.
Crowds in Ireland hell no.a lot of people in the water at the weekends yes 95% just hoping to stand up for a second or two in the wash.they dont get in the way of expeirenced surfers out the back waiting for the sets.

its like going to euro disney and telling your friends "ye man paris has lost its culture"

explore and enjoy

lahinch last weekend I never saw so many people buzzing about surfing ,was a cool vibe . i dont want that madness every weekend but was fun for a change

Evil Phil

I was in Rosnowlagh at the weekend and it was packed. The *real* surfers where out back though doing their thing and making those of us in the wash green with envy. It was jammers but there was still plenty of room. Apparenlty its the fastest growing sport in the country.

Yeah I'm only learning but so was the OP once upon a time. Dunno why you've got such a bee in your bonnet gpunk.

learnerplates

It's booming alright, must have met 100 cars with boards on the way back from Cork-Galway at the weekend.
I agree the advanced surfer dudes are not affected by the salt water drinkers at the front. Lahinch last night had about 60 surfers in all, about 40 of which were beginners, the big-guys out further weren't being interfered with.

Andrewf20

I was in Lahinch last week giving it a go for the 1st time, and I was hooked! It was quite busy and at times avoiding action was needed once I was up on the board beach bound. I went down with a group of 11 others. In the end I felt that 3/4 of them would be happy to do it again, while the rest found it tiring and frustrating at times.

paulie.walnuts

having surfed ireland, australia, france and california, have to say the vibes in the water were worst in ireland by a long shot. Just an observation.

Shane_C

Gonna get quite crowded this weekend I bet......

yankinlk

Was in Lahinch last weekend and was shocked at the difference 10 years makes. When I tried out surfing in Lahinch 10 years ago the surfers were few and far between and only one shop. For a while that shop didnt even rent gear (insurance reasons). Now look at all the shops and schools!

I have recently taken up diving and hope it doesnt explode like surfing has - purely selfish I know but...

Lemming

yankinlk wrote:

Was in Lahinch last weekend and was shocked at the difference 10 years makes. When I tried out surfing in Lahinch 10 years ago the surfers were few and far between and only one shop. For a while that shop didnt even rent gear (insurance reasons). Now look at all the shops and schools!

Oddily enough, LaHinch wasn't all that busy on Saturday, considering the swell was to hit its peak. Sunday, the place was rammed. I had to leave the water on account of a couple of collisions, near misses, and several incidents where I had to roll off the board before catching a wave to stop myself plowing into people in the way.

Pinker

OP get over yourself,... for a nicer life lose the prejudiced attitude to those who may appear to have the trappings of a privileged life, the TCD surf club are a real decent bunch, who happen to like surfing, who knew??...we've met them out once or twice in the pub and they are great craic, next time instead of muttering into your pint why not pop over and have the craic with them,...

longboardirelan

crowds are just going to get worse which is why out of the way spots not named already in surf publications should be kept quiet for the enjoyment of all.

local surfer

I think beginners are interesting to watch, in 15 minutes you can get a good idea of who will stick with it and those who dont. Different stoke for different folk I guess.

SligoBrewer

im just about to go out for my first time...

is it wrong for me to try or will i be subjected to this elitist crap?

anthony4335

The ocean is not belonging to anyone, and for most people they don't mind anyone starting, or just trying it out. As long as you follows the rules you wont annoy anybody. I suggest that everyone try it.

You Suck!

is it wrong for me to try or will i be subjected to this elitist crap?

Only if you go to a certain bay in kerry.....:)

Tho if it's silver strand, I'd imagine that its too big a place for any overcrowding.

cornbb

You'll only meet friendly folk if you are starting off on one of the well known spots (Lahinch beach, Strandhill etc).

Have fun, btw

Gumby

SligoBrewer wrote:

is it wrong for me to try or will i be subjected to this elitist crap?

stick to the main beaches and you'll be sweet.

Perhaps its worth mentioning that its is the same elitist crap that provides you with all the stoke you get when you make your first barrel (or top turn or even when ya get 'down the line'):D at that great spot that you found with your mates with no-one else out by taking some random turn off the highway rather than following the masses of lemmings to usual spot X.

goto strandhill / lahinch / whereever learn to surf

then go surf and explore!! and when you score good waves keep it shhh and don't advertise it on the web. its your (and the locals) spot [figure of speech you /they dont actually own it :rolleyes: ]. but you found it so now you and your close buddies should reap the rewards - which is a quiet and mellow session where your wave count is good and the vibes are even better cos its just you and your mates.
You Dont Have to pay $$$$ to take a boat trip to whereever for uncrowded spots you can do it here but only as long as the tradition of keeping unnamed spots quiet continues. :cool:
Otherwise everybody with access to a computer will get in on the action that you found through a bit of knowledge/ reading the charts / ordnance survey maps/ whatever and maybe a bit of savvy and this will eventually spoil it for everybody. :mad:

its not elitist. its the way it is. its part of surfing and if you are not a surfer you wouldnt understand anyway so please no more freedom of speech and irish laws. :rolleyes:

having surfed ireland, australia, france and california, have to say the vibes in the water were worst in ireland by a long shot. Just an observation.

Have to Disagree with you there. Having surfed all the places you listed and a couple others i can tell you that the vibe in irish waters by international standards is not bad at all. Its unfortunate that you picked up some of the bad vibes here (ive had it too ) but they are way worse elsewhere indo and hawaii spring to mind.
That said I'd imagine if some other spots where named and described the vibe at those spots may change dramtically.


As for that Gpunk -
1. Ireland (strandhill included) is not crowded or "jammers" as you put it which I might add is a very dublin sounding expression for someone with a chip against D-Reg crew!!
2. If you are a sligo local what a ya copmplaining for? there are a mint of better waves than strandhill all within a 1/2 hour of sligo town.
So come one buddy! - take ya skirt off and suck it up and go surf one of those smoking slabs. that is of course when ya get back from NZ ya lucky bugger!
See you in the water fellas (and ladies!)

jtsuited

Gumby wrote:

its not elitist. its the way it is. its part of surfing and if you are not a surfer you wouldnt understand anyway so please no more freedom of speech and irish laws. :rolleyes:

man the irony is not lost on you. Look at the part of your post after you say "it's not elitist". it's wreaking of elitism.

the localism I have experienced (even on well known beachbreaks) in my short (but varied) surfing time in Ireland, is ridiculous.
I was surfing with an English guy the other day, and he pointed out the fact that every outsider you talked to in the line-up was sound and every local was quite unfriendly, and he wasn't wrong.

Secret spots and the naming of them etc., is just silly. Unless you are a fish of some sorts, the ocean does not belong to you. So deal with it.

Did you actually walk around unaided to find the 'secret breaks'? no you probably used an ordnance survey map. Should the ordnance survey remove certain spots from their maps to stop people finding these breaks? Obviously not.
If you can show me a 'secret spot' being flooded with a load of problematic beginners after being named on the internet, then it might be a relevant topic for debate.
But right now it's a bunch of arrogant idiots getting annoyed about their 'code' etc.

Pretty funny really!

squeeba

ya take up kitesurfing!
alot more room to ride, and alot less people bitching about newby rides and alot more encouragement to progress rather than being shot down cuz of where you are from or what level of riding your at...

www.lsdkiteboarding.com