WATCH: Surfer catches incredible rare 18 metre wave off the Sligo coast

Elite surfer Conor Maguire caught the giant wave yesterday in Mullaghmore, which was caused by the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon.

Weather conditions yesterday met to create some special waves off the Sligo coast yesterday, and elite surfer Conor Maguire was making the most of the opportunity.

Local surfers said they were some of the largest waves they have ever seen there. Such were their size, Conor, from Bundoran in Co Donegal and who is a Red Bull athlete, was the only surfer attempting them, accompanied by a safety team from Red Bull.

These rare conditions would usually attract surfers from around the world, however Covid-19 travel restrictions meant that Conor had these spectacular waves to himself.

Dramatic surf conditions in the Atlantic Ocean caused by Hurricane Epsilon have created waves of over 18m off the coast of Sligo. Elite surfer Conor Maguire, who caught the waves today, said it was a rare and special experience. pic.twitter.com/qcXsOqTUs8

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 28, 2020

His team captured the moment he successfully caught a huge wave around 18 metres. Speaking to RTÉ News, Conor said “There are only a handful of days like this one in your whole life pretty much, so to experience that today was pretty special”.

Gerry Murphy, a meteorologist from Met Éireann, explained that over the past 24 hours very low pressure, which is the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon, enabled the creation of very high waves far out in the Atlantic, causing a significant sea swell which brought the waves close to the coastline.

Two members of Conor’s safety team, experienced surfers Barry Mottershead and Dylan Stott, have been surfing in this spot for more than 15 years, and said they have never seen anything like the waves they saw yesterday. “It was pretty special to see it that size, it’s pretty rare,” Conor said.

The conditions are expected to continue today, so Conor has another chance to enjoy these conditions, albeit not quite the same size of wave. “There are remnants of this swell hanging around tomorrow, so it’s still going to be 20-30ft,” he said, “which is going to feel small after today”.

Image: Red Bull

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