They say you don't have to be crazy to go surfing here, but that it helps. After attending the Coors Light European Body-boarding Championships in Strandhill, Co Sligo, early this month, I'm not sure craziness is necessary. Even in the freezing rain, with a devilish wind howling in off the water, there is something irresistible about the ocean and its hypnotic, beckoning waves.
The coldness of the water is dealt with by a wet suit - experienced surfers claim it's often more comfortable to be in the water than on the beach. And it certainly is fun. The body-boarders spin around on the waves, do mid-air rollovers, and flat out fly.
No wonder the sport is catching on. Some 18,000 body-boards have been sold here in the past five years, making it arguably the fastest-growing sport in the land (and easily the fastest-growing sport in the water).
Shoreline prophets envisage a day when Ireland will be another surfer's paradise, mentioned in the same breath as Waikiki and Malibu. It's a bit of a stretch, but the concept definitely holds water, for although most people associate surfing with warm weather and bikinis, most surfers view these as mere window dressing. They care only about waves - and Ireland has waves aplenty. The Irish Surfing Association legitimately claims the waves of the west are second only to those of Hawaii. In a sport where size definitely counts, the North Atlantic was serving up 18- and 20-footers for the competition and the body-boarders appeared to be having the time of their lives. And yet, the conditions for surfing were generally viewed as disappointing. EXPERIENCED surfers are as discerning about waves as wine-lovers are about vintages - even if not always as articulate. Earlier in the week the weather and the waves had been, supposedly, brilliant, but by the start of the event on Friday heavy weather - there were hurricane warnings - had made for a boiling sea.
The main culprit was the wind, blowing in off the water. For ideal surfing conditions it must blow from land to sea, which cups the waves, creating the "barrel". Body-boarders like to zoom through the barrel, which is one of the reasons why they prefer their sport to conventional surfing. "Ideally we like to go with fast, hollow waves," says 23-year-old Adam Wilson, from Sligo. "A day like today? There's no shape to the waves, too much white water - nothing contestable."
Wilson is a tall, affable fellow. Like the rest of the body boarders, he is as fit as a greyhound - the sport is physically gruelling. When asked about the dangers of this particular beach, which has a murderous undertow, he merely shrugs. "You just have to know how to work with the rip," he says. "It's just water trying to find a way back out."
Brian Britton, President of the Irish Surfing Association, at 49 is considered the grandfather of Irish surfing. A former resident of Donegal, he has been surfing in Ireland since 1967. He is a man with a mission; he wants to give Irish surfing to the world. As he explains it, the continental shelf 300 miles off the west coast breaks up the gulf stream and creates perfect swells. Though surfing would be his drug of choice, he concedes that body-boarding is growing four times faster because it's cheaper, easier, and safer.
Doubtless, Britton's personal vision of Surfing Ireland will raise a few eyebrows. But over the weekend, parts of Strandhill did indeed resemble Malibu, with surfer dudes and chicks hanging in their technicolor outfits and a bunker full of judges keeping score on computers. It was all a little over-the-top for Yeats country.
Yet surfing is hardly new to Ireland. Kevin Cavey, chairman of the East Coast Surfing Association, was surfing these shores as early as 1964. Meanwhile body-boarding, born in Hawaii centuries ago, achieved mainstream status in the US in the 1970s, when an afternoon spent in the water was known as an "expression session". With its barrel rolls, 360-degree turns, and reverse spins, the sport is more versatile than surfing.
Britton points out that body-boarding is much more exciting than football and rugby, which I don't doubt - providing you're actually playing. As a spectator sport, it may well be the only activity in the world more boring than cricket. At least you get to sleep while watching cricket. Spending a couple of hours on the beach in Sligo, in a wind so brazen that standing in one place requires effort, would not be my idea of a fun afternoon.
Contestants are judged by the number of manoeuvres, the style of the manoeuvres, and the speed with which they're delivered. Some 68 people participated in the European championship, 20 of them women. Most came from Portugal, England, France, and Spain. When asked why there were no Italians present, one of the surfers replied: "Rubber suits aren't sexy."
Fun as it may be, it's a tough way to make a living. Bryan McAuley, ranked 6th in Europe, would like to stay on the tour professionally but is attending university to give him something to fall back on. He has sponsors for his board and clothing, but finds it's tough to make a real go of it. Adam Wilson, who is the country's top-ranked body-boarder, is a physical therapist by trade.
McCaulay and Wilson were both knocked out of the quarter finals of the championship. Neither could get a decent wave in his allotted competition time. But they'll definitely be back.
"There's nothing like body-boarding," McAulay says. "You get out there on a wave that's as high as a house and there's no other feeling. It's just such a rush."
So maybe it does help to be a little crazy.