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Doughmore Beach Doonbeg Clare

Candleman

do any of ye surf down there regularly?
I first found the place last year and have returned on a few occasions, it is a serious spot for surfing.
A poster here warned about it being extremely dangerous though - is this the experience of others?
Its a shame there is not a surf school down there and some lifeguards

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kodute

Candleman wrote: »

do any of ye surf down there regularly?
I first found the place last year and have returned on a few occasions, it is a serious spot for surfing.
A poster here warned about it being extremely dangerous though - is this the experience of others?
Its a shame there is not a surf school down there and some lifeguards

Its not "safe" beach on big swells. Its handy on small days when other spots are flat.
I've found even on smallish days theres a handy enough current going across the shore. Never been there when its properly big tho.

The last thing that place needs is a surf school!

spaceHopper

Take a trip into one of the surf shops and get the full low down I don't surf it that often to know much about it - but I was pulled out by a sneaky rip with a few others 20 mins of paddling in not nice and I've heard much wourse. If you are a beginner never surf it big or alone. Learn to spot rips....

There reason there is no life guard there is because it's to dangerous to swim there and nobody should ever - having life guards makes it OK. It's not a money thing as I've seen life guards at other beaches in the area.

OldGuysRule

All the above responses are correct. I have been accused of scare mongering about the place before, but I have been surfing there for about 20 yrs and have witnessed and been involved in several rescues of surfers caught in rips or pounded in the shore dump. There have been rescues by boat, jet ski and the helicopter in recent years also. As it is reasonably remote, the chance of being caught in a rip and not being able to get attention of some one on shore is also a big concern there.

Just to add to the above though, it is not only dangerous when there is significant size there, it can also have fairly strong rips with lower swell size, depending on how the banks are set up and the tide levels.

The last thing the place needs is surf schools going there, as this can lead to complacency whereby someone learns to surf there on a nice 1 - 2 ft summers day, buys a board and heads back there on their own or with a mate and things get out of hand quickly.

It is a nice spot though, but be careful there and keep within shouting distance of other surfers if you do paddle out and CONSTANTLY check your location markers.

Candleman

would it be possible to set some buoys up out in the 'bay' area??
say put three in place about 250m / 300m out - just something to hold on to
ideally there should be some form of communication devise attached as well
surely this could be easily constructed?

OldGuysRule

Not practical. How do you decide where to locate the bouys in respect of the tide? The location of the rips change with the development of the sandbanks through the year.

Who do you communicate to, rescue services? Who pays for its design, manufacture, installation, maintenance? Who is responsible when it is not there after a heavy storm event? If you have been down there when it is BIG, you will see so much swell and water moving around the bay, nothing would hold its place.

What will be next, softening the slabs at Rileys to allow everyone surf it, a ticket machine at The Peak so everyone knows whose turn it is next, a quota system at Cornish.

No offence, but to be honest, people need to know when not to go out, rather than putting systems in place accommodating people who are 'out of their depth'.

cornbb

Candleman wrote: »

would it be possible to set some buoys up out in the 'bay' area??
say put three in place about 250m / 300m out - just something to hold on to
ideally there should be some form of communication devise attached as well
surely this could be easily constructed?

Let me guess, you are in an advanced phase of negotiations to make this happen, just like the pulley system in Lahinch?

This is your last chance to stop posting this nonsense, if you persist I will ban all of your accounts from this forum.

tedshredsonfire

OldGuysRule wrote: »

a ticket machine at The Peak so everyone knows whose turn it is next,

Thats a bit daft now, everyone knows the tickets would be ruined in the water. An easier way would be to paint a number on everyones wetsuit and have a guy on the rocks with a loupspeaker. he could call out your number when its your turn and shout at you come in number 10 your times up.

kodute

tedshredsonfire wrote: »

Thats a bit daft now, everyone knows the tickets would be ruined in the water. An easier way would be to paint a number on everyones wetsuit and have a guy on the rocks with a loupspeaker. he could call out your number when its your turn and shout at you come in number 10 your times up.

How would he keep track of time for everyone? Multiple stopwatches? Pen and paper? some sort of computer logging program?

At the very least get some local input from non-local dog walkers, submit this idea to the county council and ring an engineering firm to price a feasibility study. Then the surfing gold shall be yours! :cool:

NickDrake

Will it pick up anything this week - Swell wise?

Candleman

cornbb wrote: »

Let me guess, you are in an advanced phase of negotiations to make this happen, just like the pulley system in Lahinch?

This is your last chance to stop posting this nonsense, if you persist I will ban all of your accounts from this forum.

I have no intention of progressing this idea personally.
I would say though that one way of making surfing in ireland more attractive would be to make it somewhat safer.
I believe some rescue bases strategically placed in the ocean could serve to provide that additional comfort required by would-be surfers.
Obviously it would not be feasible to put movable bases in the water (which would be preferable) but we need to look at this issue and embrace some blue sky thinking.
Ideas are welcomed.

OldGuysRule

This is so far from reality, the element of 'wind up' is almost lost

However, safety shuold be practised by the individual, not coming up with nanny state, half baked nonsense. You are either capable of getting out there surfing or you are not. No amount of 'rescue bases' are going to save you if you have no place out there in the sea.

Candleman

not gonna labour the point oldguy because you are actually talking some sense
however i believe we need to be creative re making the sport a little safer

an experienced surfer can get into difficulties at any stage and might well welcome a rescue base

Low Pockets

OldGuysRule wrote: »

However, safety shuold be practised by the individual, not coming up with nanny state, half baked nonsense. You are either capable of getting out there surfing or you are not. No amount of 'rescue bases' are going to save you if you have no place out there in the sea.

The most logical post I think I have ever seen on this forum.

Candleman, surfing doesnt need to be made safer, surfing needs to be left alone to die back out of the media lime light so surfers can be left to piece and quite

Candleman

c'mon we have a wonderful opportunity here to promote the west of ireland

kodute

Candleman wrote: »

c'mon we have a wonderful opportunity here to promote the west of ireland

http://www.discoverireland.ie/

Ask these people so.

Low Pockets

Hmmm, how to put this nicely?

Does ram it up your ass cover it?

(mods, this is showing restraint)

The west cost does not need promotion. Surfing has become the media whoring point at every available opportunity and people like you with these hair brain schemes (that have absolutely no hope of coming to pass) serve no otehr purpose then to push surfing further again into the public consciousness. (and piss people like me off no end)

If you want to surf there. Practice, study conditions, give yourself more time in the ocean so you understand what is going on and more importantly your own limits.

Never count on anyone else (or some hair brained ****ig scheme) to get you out of trouble.

CRenegade

Candleman wrote: »

c'mon we have a wonderful opportunity here to promote the west of ireland

Candleman do u have a business on the west coast or something that you want loads more people to visit?

I dont mind surfing growing steadily but we dont need to babysit people totally. Im not a very experienced surfer - only couple of years at it but I know my limits and learning all the time, i wont hit a new surf spot till I know Im able for it and prob go with someone who knows it well.

There are plenty of surf schools at the known spots and begineers can gradually move on from these spots to more advanced locations - its all about practice and learning how to read and understand the breaks.

_______________________________
http://www.surfaroundireland.com

cornbb

Candleman wrote: »

c'mon we have a wonderful opportunity here to promote the west of ireland

Candleman and alter-egos banned.

Low Pockets wrote: »

Hmmm, how to put this nicely?

Does ram it up your ass cover it?

Don't rise to his bait.

This thread is a trainwreck, going nowhere.