Two weeks removed from the depths of dengue fever, Nathan Florence soldiered on to Europe for a rendezvous with Hurricane Erin at one of his favorite waves. A few weeks ago, the storm tracked into the northeast corner of the Atlantic Ocean, waking up Ireland’s most famous wave in the middle of summer.
“This is a really weird time for this well to hit,” Nathan said. “We’re in August, and it’s not the normal season here. It’s kind of a unique situation.”
It wasn’t ideal conditions, but on the back of Erin’s brunt, Mullaghmore still did Mullaghmore things. Proper, powerful sets in the 15-foot-plus range. A long paddle out in a 5 millimeter wetsuit through onshore winds. It’s not the biggest, baddest the left have looked, but the technical chops and bravado it takes for Nathan to wield an 8-foot surfboard, backside, into these barrels should not go overlooked. Even a dislodged contact lens (17:18) didn’t deter him.
For more coverage of Mullaghmore on the hurricane swell, including local standout Gearoid Mcdaid, see below.
Related: “Mully in Summer”: Hurricane Erin Goes XL In Ireland (Video)