AN IRISH surfer has been nominated for a global surfing award after catching one of two massive waves that broke on the Sligo coastline on the same day this year.
The waves occurred off Mullaghmore during the “Viking storm” conditions of March 8th, with one being caught by Irish surfer Ollie O’Flaherty.
The other, estimated at a record 50ft (15.24m), was caught by Devon surfer Andrew Cotton, who had waited three months for the conditions and had almost left for home several days before.
The Mullaghmore nominees are on the shortlist for this year’s Billabong XXL global surfing awards, competing against waves breaking off Outer Bommie in western Australia, Agiti in Spain and Praia do Norte in Portugal.
Surfing film-maker Peter Clyne, who took to his board to record the Mullaghmore conditions on March 8th, said O’Flaherty’s nomination was significant as the first Irish surfer to make it to the final in such a prestigious category.
Surfers from Ireland, Britain, France, Hawaii, Brazil, South Africa and Australia had taken to the northwest swell for what magicseaweed.comdescribed as the best conditions for that month in 15 years. The weather system tracked by the website began off Greenland, the same winds that brought the Vikings to Ireland, said website editor Edward Temperley.