Winter Kayaksurf at Narin Strand Portnoo

Donegal is a great place to be a kayaker with a huge range of stunning coastline from cliffs to unspoilt offshore islands, pristine beaches and practically hundreds of lakes and fast flowing rivers that makes Donegal a playground for paddlers. It’s also a great place to surf, it has plenty of swell generated by the Atlantic ocean which means lots of waves hitting onto our unspoilt, coastal beaches and reefs. Added to Donegal’s normally mild winters means that you could actually surf all year round.

Donegal surfkayak Irish champion Kieran Mc Dyre in action in his HP kayak

Can you surf a kayak? You surely can! Any type of kayak can surf, it’s just that some surf a lot better than others. If your kayak is bulky, heavy or has a lot of volume it might be a struggle to get a lot of performance out of it, but it still would be fun to try. The best kayaks to use on the waves are the high tech lightweight composite competition kayaks like the high performance ( HP ) short boat which features a flat bottom sharp rails, short tail and fins and the international class ( IC ) long boats that are hard carving surf machines, but both of these types of kayak take some time to master and are relatively expensive to buy.

Early days just starting out in summer at Rossnowlagh a nice friendly beach.

If you’re new to surfing and just starting out, it’s a good idea to pick a quiet, safe beach where you won’t get in any other water users way, then it will be easier to stay within your own comfort zone. Have suitable clothing for cold water immersion like a wetsuit, wear a buoyancy aid and a helmet which is a must for kayak surfing

Ulster Paddlesurf Competition held in Portrush

There is a definite history to paddle surfing in Ireland stretching back to the 1980’s with regular competitions taking place involving surfkayakers and waveskis run by the likes of the Ulster Paddlesurf Club and Paddlesurf Ireland with both clubs sending teams and individuals to National and International competitions over the years. The biggest competition in Ireland is the Irish Paddlesurf Open event held every year at Easky (on the left hand reef break), Co. Sligo with paddlesurfers attending from the UK and Europe alongside the best Irish surfers.

A competitor in action at a regional event held at Marblehill Donegal

This year (2017), Ulster will be the venue for the World Surfkayak Competition (20th-28th October) based in Portrush, involving the best teams and individual kayakers from around the world. The event is being organised by the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland. This event offers a great opportunity to see the finest paddlersurfers in the world competing against one another in both the team and individual heats whilst executing radical and dynamic moves on the waves. At the event three paddlers from Donegal Sea and Surf Paddlers Club (based on the rugged NW coast of Donegal) will be taking part and are being supported by Rapid Kayaking. The three Donegal paddlers are James O’Donnell, Kieran and Denis Mc Dyre. All three have competed in the past at national and international events and we wish them well in their endeavours at the 2017 World Surf Kayak Championships.   

Members of Donegal Sea & Surf  Paddlers Club who will be heading to the 2017 World Surfkayak Championships to be held in Portrush in October. from R to L Kieran, James, Denis and fellow Donegal Surf Kayaker Conor O’D