Conor Maguire surfs historic swell at Mullaghmore Head

October 30, 2020 | Surfing
Conor Maguire: the Irish rode a 60-foot wave at Mullaghmore Head | Photo: Red Bull

Conor Maguire has written history at Mullaghmore Head, in County Sligo, Ireland.

Maguire took off on a massive 60-foot (18 meters) mammoth wall of water and rode one of the largest waves of all time at the infamous Irish slab.

The young daredevil has taken the surf world by storm in recent years.

Conor Maguire started surfing when he was 11 and went on to become the youngest European to be shortlisted for World Surf League's Big Wave Awards.

In 2017/2018, the 26-year-old Irish swell hunter received an invitation to compete at the Punta de Galea Challenge.

The participation catapulted him to bigger, global recognition.

And when Hurricane Epsilon produced 60-foot waves off the coast of County Sligo, in his native Ireland, he was quick to embrace the opportunity of a lifetime.

Maguire was quick to pounce on a weather forecast, which looked almost too good to be true when he traveled to Mullaghmore Head.

The powerful Atlantic Ocean conditions on offer were caused by the merge of tropical Hurricane Epsilon and a depression and produced massive, freak swells out at sea.

A Historic Swell

Mullaghmore Head is well-known by European big wave riders.

This storm surge created waves up to 18 meters high, and Maguire was accompanied closely by a safety team for his trip out.

"There are only a handful of days like this one in your whole life pretty much, so to experience that today was pretty special," stated Conor Maguire after taking on the historic XXL waves at Mullaghmore Head.

"The Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club ran safety for me for the day."

Maguire speaks of a scenario where chaos meets beauty in an unimaginable way.

The M6 buoy located 200 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland was reading swells of 29 meters.

Maguire and his team informed the coastguard of their plans and quickly organized a paramedic and ambulance, four rescue skis driven by friends, and spotters on the cliff.

"Cheers to Gearoid McDaid for sitting in the channel all day and giving me unconditional love throughout the session."

"Gearoid paddled the wave of the day this morning as the leftover swell again filled the bay."

"It was still 20-to-30-foot this morning, so to hear he got spat out of a Teahupoo-esque keg made me feel very happy. Nobody deserves it more."