Solid Swell + A Midnight Sun = 5 Sessions In One Day

During mid-June, West Ireland never really plunges into total darkness.

Instead, it moves through various stages of twilight throughout the night. Dawn begins around 4:15 AM, the sun rises around 5 AM, sets over the Atlantic at 10 PM, and dusk ends just shy of 11. That’s approximately 17 hours of daylight. More than enough, in theory, to squeeze in five surfs.

Gearóid Mcdaid got out of bed at 4. Outside, it was grey, gloomy, and soaked, but the ocean had groomed itself into something delectable overnight. In the water, solid, long-period lines were cosplaying as an autumn swell. A gift he’d never refuse.

But his first proper wake-up didn’t really happen until 5:38, when he paddled out at one of the dozens of setups he has access to within a short drive from his home in Sligo — a heaving left reef/point, which he had pretty much to himself for that session.

In fact, the sheer variety and quality of waves around the area is absurd. Within a three-kilometre stretch, there’s enough surf to make even the most wave-rich corners of Europe feel a little insecure. It’s surprising that some wave-divergent European nation isn’t already hosting a university championship here. Then again, maybe Ireland’s saving grace is the weather, which keeps the human soup mercifully thin compared to Europe’s warmer zones. For now.

Caught off guard by the stealth swell, Gearóid hadn’t fully charged his Rip Curl GPS3 watch and only logged the stats from his first couple of sessions. While the findings were interesting, he’s saving the real data collection for later this year, once Mully wakes up. Next time, with a fully juiced wrist piece.

Gearóid’s final surf happened 13 hours after his first, at 18:43. Five surfs. Four spots. Four boards. Four wetsuits. “I don’t think I’ve surfed that much in about five years,” he said. Even more impressive, considering he’s only recently back from a serious injury.

Tough as nails, this lad.