Rare Summer Swell Sends Huge Waves To Ireland

Originally posted on SURFER | By Chris Dodds | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 1:26 PM ET

Our favorite Irish charger, Gearoid McDaid, is back with another edit from the Emerald Isle. Only this time, instead of terrifying winter swell with giant waves, this time he scores proper heavy waves from a rare summer swell.

"That's my first heavy wave in a longtime...I hope it looks as good as it felt because it felt pretty sick." Rest assured, Gearoid, because it certainly looked sick. The opening wave is a macking, double-overhead + drainer that nearly bucks him off his feet during the drop but he regains composure and pulls in and fully disappears from sight before emerging a few seconds later. As he kicks out we hear a surprised, "What?!" from the filmer.

In addition to being rare, summer swells in Ireland are quite tricky so we see Gearoid load up with several surfboards in case the swell either over performs and he needs a step up 6'3, or under performs and he opts for a twinnie, plus a couple others and four wetsuits. "Hopefully we get to use all of them."

Gearoid has been steadily dishing out killer edits like last year's Roller Coaster, showcasing his skill and dedication for waves that would send most people running for the hills. Glad to see he's gotten a taste of the action as other parts of the world, notably the South Swell hotspots throughout the Pacific, have been getting steady pulses for the better part of the last two months.

Let's finish with this, if you run into Gearoid while searching for waves in Ireland, you're definitely in the right spot.

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

More must-reads: