New Irish Big Wave Spot
Tuesday 9 November 2010 A chance discovery from a rescue helicopter years ago today culminated in a giant session at the massive wedging wave they have now named Prowlers. British surfer Andrew Cotton saw a wave break several years ago on board an Irish Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued in a surf accident off Mullaghmore, in County Sligo.
Cotton and a group of core wave riders, including a South African, Irish and English surfers, rode the spot today, causing headlines across the country and a front page photo on the Irish Times.
The location of the wave, with some sets coming through at 50ft, would for "selfish reasons" be kept secret, according to Al Mennie, one of the team who rode it today.
It is the second Irish big wave spot after Aileen's at the foot of the Cliffs of Moher. A big storm turned on the reef - at least two miles offshore from Donegal Bay. The surfers say the ledge on which it breaks is the top of an underwater mountain.