Main Beach
Tends to be the more beginner friendly, as it's life guarded, and the other options here are pretty rough reefs or slabs.
Can be worth a look on high tide in medium-to-large swell.
The spot
One of the surfing hot spots along the Irish coast. Bundoran is well suited for surfing, and actually has a few lineups that often get mixed together.
The most obvious lineup is the beach itself, also just called "Main Beach". It's right in front of the main car park, and you'll often see the surf schools taking people out here, as it's much more forgiving than the others. Although, Bundoran has a much more hardcore scene lurking, and lineups like The Peak get attention from all around the world.
The local surf guide has a really nice resource for some of the other spots nearby, with a few of the lineups. There's a few others missing in it, like the extremely shallow slab, "3Ds", but I'm also not including it in the lineups, mainly because it's mostly a body-board type wave to get tubed in, and is very sketchy due to all the rocks.
There's a handful of surf shops in the town itself, with Surfworld in the town doing rentals, and Bundoran Surf Co offering lessons. The town itself is the postcard Irish seaside getaway location. So when you're done surfing, you can try your luck at the amusements.
Lineups
The Peak
An A-frame reef right out from the historical fort headland, with the longer left and shorter hollower right. It's one of the most well known and consistent reef spots in Ireland. Works on a low to mid tide.
This spot actually has a ton of history, with it being Ireland’s first officially protected wave - after a harbour scheme threatened to completely close it off. Thankfully, this spot is still open, and gets international attention with a number of surf competitions being held here.
I recommend just seeing some of the highlight videos of some surfing done here.
"Inside Left" is another lineup situated very close, just right of The Peak, closer to the shore. It launches off the same rock reefs, but only really works on a low tide.
Amenities
- Toilets
- Rentals
- Surf school
- Lifeguard
- Café