From Hawaii to Ireland, Nathan Florence Meets Hurricane Erin at Mullaghmore

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 4:00 AM ET

Two weeks removed from the depths of dengue fever, Nathan Florence soldiered on to Europe for a rendezvous with Hurricane Erin at one of his favorite waves. A few weeks ago, the storm tracked into the northeast corner of the Atlantic Ocean, waking up Ireland’s most famous wave in the middle of summer.

“This is a really weird time for this well to hit,” Nathan said. “We’re in August, and it’s not the normal season here. It’s kind of a unique situation.”

It wasn’t ideal conditions, but on the back of Erin’s brunt, Mullaghmore still did Mullaghmore things. Proper, powerful sets in the 15-foot-plus range. A long paddle out in a 5 millimeter wetsuit through onshore winds. It's not the biggest, baddest the left have looked, but the technical chops and bravado it takes for Nathan to wield an 8-foot surfboard, backside, into these barrels should not go overlooked. Even a dislodged contact lens (17:18) didn't deter him.

For more coverage of Mullaghmore on the hurricane swell, including local standout Gearoid Mcdaid, see below.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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