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It has been compared to the monstrous big waves of the Pacific. But for Irish surfer Conor Maguire, who has claimed what may be the biggest swell in his country, he was almost on his doorstep at Mullaghmore in Co Sligo.
The biggest question for Maguire was not whether he wanted to try it, but whether it was acceptable to venture during the Level 5 national lockdown.
In the end, after having asked permission from the local council and in coordination with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, it was deemed appropriate for Maguire and his support team, including five personal watercraft for safety.
Surfers in Ireland and Portugal, which produce giant waves, had been watching the swell from Hurricane Epsilon’s storm, which they realized would push massive waves towards the Atlantic coast and the small number of places in Europe where the waves of more 18 m form.
“Originally, when I saw the swell on the charts, I was like, ‘Oh shit, of course it would happen during the lockdown!’ Maguire told the Magic Seaweed surf website about his wave that it could break records.
“So typical. My main concern was not to offend anyone or put pressure on the hospital system or anything like that. We contacted Sligo City Council and got permission to surf, we spoke to the coast guard. We had four skis and a paramedic on hand, two observers on the cliff. We couldn’t have been safer, and [it was] the perfect time to try it.
“The original idea was to simply respect the locals and not offend anyone. My friends live in the area and we spoke to a lot of the locals before and they were raving about the people. And the cape was like an amphitheater; there were cars everywhere. Everyone was in their cars, adhering to Covid protocols, just like us. At the port, with the security report, we had masks and all that. It was quite professional. “
Matching conditions
The area, which generally produces waves 6 m to 9 m (20 ft to 30 ft) high, was hit by a rare coincidence of conditions: Hurricane surge atop a mid-Atlantic depression that produced waves that broke nearly a mile and touching, perhaps, 18 m high.
“You could see all the way coming in. In the middle of the bay [Maguire’s jetski tow-in driver] It was like, ‘Uhhh, okaaaaay’ and I was like, ‘oh f ** k’. Then he lifted me up, made a loop, and hung me like a big pendulum. When I was falling, it felt like I was falling 30 or 40 seconds, it came and went.
“The wave itself, it was smooth, man. I felt like butter or something. It was pretty easy. I just stood there [laughs]. But it ended up catching up to me in the end. “- Guardian
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