When you think of Big Wave Surfing as a sport the places that typically come to mind are Hawaii, Northern California, Tahiti (Teahupo’o), and Nazaré, Portugal. One place that often goes overlooked is the Emerald Isle.
Ireland is synonymous with shamrocks, green pastures, golf, and sheep. But what about Big Wave Surfing? There’s a group of crazy Irish surfers who are working to put Ireland on the map because it’s actually home to some of the gnarliest waves on the planet.
Big Wave Surfing is one of the most dangerous sports on the planet. Every time you paddle out into the skyscraper-sized waves you’re putting your life at risk. You can get trapped under the water and burst a lung. You can get knocked out upon impact after wiping out and drown. You can go over the falls and get the wind knocked out of you before being held underwater for minutes.
These Irish bros know the risks but they’re out there charging some of the gnarliest waves found anywhere in the world and it’s impressive as hell.
A group of Ireland’s craziest surfers have been dubbed ‘The Nutjobs’ and they’re the focus of a recent video by RedBull‘s YouTube channel which shows everything that goes into riding these giant waves, from lifestyle to training to execution.
Big Wave Surfing pro Conor Maguire is at the forefront of this video and it’s easy to see why the surfing scene in Ireland is exploding with him as the face of their sport. His love for Big Wave surfing is infectious.
This is actually the second video in a two-part series from RedBull about surfing in Ireland. The first came out last week and it dove deep into the history of surfing on the tiny island by focusing on the Irish pioneers of surfing.
If you were into that clip above then you’ll be into this one for sure:
My question is, how many surfers who were planning on visiting Ireland will now be swayed to go surfing while they’re in Ireland? No matter how good the waves are, will creating the perception of Ireland as surfing destination ever be a realistic endeavor? I just can’t imagine ever thinking ‘Ireland, oh yeah, the surfing island’.