April 2015 (ROTM#76) Aileens, Ireland

When you think of famous big wave spots, Ireland doesn't immediately come to mind, but near the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, the right conditions can form the 'perfect wave' called Aileens that can reach up to 12 m high. Spend a bit of time on YouTube and you'll find there's a big surfing scene there and the wave looks like a combination of Teahupo and Pipeline. Sure the water's cold, but it's still pretty impressive. 

A friend and colleague of mine from the University of Plymouth, Tim Scott, recently took this picture from the cliffs of a massive 'mega rip' current flowing out of the embayment. You can see it from the turbulent streaky water heading offshore. The waves were 'only' 4 m high with a 16 second period, but the offshore flowing rip was strong enough to bend the wave crests. Mega rips are just really big rips and tend to only form in embayments when there are huge waves.

Mega rip