Troggs Surf Shop & School’s comprehensive online beach guide for the North Coast of Ireland has been formulated from our years of surf experience and local knowledge. Whether you are a travelling surfer, summer time tourist, or just learning to surf please have a look at our North Coast beach guide for beaches between Benone and Ballycastle. You can check for location, hazards, rocks, the best tides, swells & winds etc.

1.Benone Strand- Otherwise known as Magiligan Strand is popular with surfers from Limavady and Derry. Tucked in at the E end of Benone, lies a fairly consistent right hand bank in front of the friendly Downhill hostel. This wave can carry for over 150m plus, has steep walls and is sheltered from strong S/SW winds due to its cliffed backdrop. The wave is very uncrowded and over the years many perfect waves have gone unridden here.

Waves get progressively bigger the further East you go from Magilligan Point. If you don ‘t find an empty peak along this beach then something is wrong. Waves here are more rolling and less violent than Portrush or Portballintrae, ideal for beginners and longboarders.

2.Castlerock Strand- The beach is well signposted. Many left and right peaks. Swell magnet. Nice peeling, long waves. Ideal for learners and longboarders. Challenging when big for experienced surfers too. Barmouth, at E end of the beach has a R, peeling machine-like off the groyne wall for 200m+when its on.Super-long bashable walls. If tired of going right, paddle across the river and surf the left on Portstewart side. Consistent. Intermediate plus.

3.Portstewart Strand- Super long beach,almost 3 km,with plenty of peaks up and down just drive along the beach until you find your own personal play patch. Best spots are on either ends of the strand. Most peaks are consistent when open to N + NW swells. Generally, the walls are not too steep,so it’s a good spot for learners/improvers.

East end is Baileys, adjacent to the town a sandbar which can produce a super long right. On its day, the longest ride on the N Coast. Intermediate plus. 3km down the beach at the west end is the Barmouth. A mechanical left peels off the groyne from the River Bann, producing nice walls, not as hollow as other spots but great for manoveures. Advanced only.

4.The Slab- The most inflamous spot on the coast. Advanced only please. On you’re way round the coast road between Portrush and Portstewart hidden under the cliff of Ballyreagh Golf Course lies the Slab. Its a dangerous, absolutly mental ledgy sucky wave. The Slab breaks over a hideously shallow rock ledge, needs the right swell size, direction and wind before even mildy thinkable! Its arguably not a wave because its so short and mutant, but it throws a spectacular barrel. Don’t think about surfing it unless you are experienced enough.

5&6.Black Rocks/West Strand- A variety of left and right peaks on this beachbreak. Consistent, liking a pushing mid tide to really get going. Watch out for the sharks (only kidding!) - but note the rocks at the far end of the bay. Being a premier resort on the North Coast, it gets easily crowded particularly in summer. Something for everyone here.

7. East Strand- If this wave is on, it is totally awesome! Very powerful, Hossegor style beachbreak. Fast, exploding left and right barrels often spitting. Famed for snapping boards. Consistent good right bank at the end of the promenade. Left and right peak in front of the stream. Size 4-6ft is best. Watch for strong currents and rips when its big - advanced only then.

8.White Rocks- Whiterocks has multiple lefts and rights on its sandbars (rocky outcrops at the north end). Left and rights on this beach, pretty big swell window so it is quite consistent. Can get crowded but the trek up the beach for a perfect peak can be well worth it. All standards catered for.

9.Portballintrae- Portballintrae is a north coast swell magnet - the magnet of all magnets during summer. When swells are smaller and everywhere is flat, here it can be 4ft+. The deep water basin and steep shelving beach focuses swell to produce heavy barrelling lefts and rights. Some of the best tubes about when its firing. Renowned for snapping boards and people.

10.White Park Bay- White Park Bay is a beautiful, long beach just past the Giant’s Causeway with water, more crystal blue than any other beach on our stretch of Ireland’s coast. White Park Bay offer multiple peaks with good lined up waves at the East end. Mid tide on the push is best for seriously long winter rides with incredibly powerful banks. Totally consistent, pretty uncrowded. Most people are put off by the long walk from the carpark to the beach.

Situated at the south west end of White Park Bay, Portbradden is a sheltered left, good in westerly gales or when it’s maxing out everywhere else. Portbradden is best at mid tide on the push. Its quite shallow, so its a good spot to loose a few fins! This is definately an intermediate to expert spot, especially when bigger. Watch out for the nasty big rip when its big.

11.Ballycastle- The beach is split into three distinct surfing zones, each being slightly different to the other. At the far eastern end of the break sits Pans Rock (long exposed finger of rock) and given the right swell produces long right hand walls that ends up in a close-out shorebreak. The mid point in the beach provides hollow, heavy tubes due the sudden change in depth. You’ll need the correct swell direction for this to work well. At the river mouth lies Ballycastle’s trump card - the Wedge. A break designed only for bodyboarders or the best stand-ups, this wave will throw a four foot barrel from a three foot wall. Incoming swell doubles up with swell re-bounding off the harbour wall and produces one of the heaviest waves on the North Coast. On a seriously big swell, beyond Ballycastle is a reef-break heaven, but that’s for another day!

Many thanks to Troggs Surf Shop for this guide. They have been providing a range of quality surfing products and services in Ireland & the UK to our customers for almost 20 years. Troggs stock an awesome range of wetsuits, wetsuit accessories, surfboards, fashion and just about anything else you can think of! Please visit their site www.troggs.com or visit www.portrushsurfcam.com for live real-time weather updates and streamed web cam updates.