IF YOU happen to be down around Westmoreland Street, or indeed Sandyford Business Park, on a Friday evening, don't be surprised at the number of suited folk carrying surfboards. They're just waiting for the Surfbus.
The brainchild of entrepreneur and former surfer Marc Nixon, Surfbus.ie is a recently launched service that brings wave lovers either to Lahinch or Bundoran on Friday evenings, and back to the capital again on a Sunday night.
"A lot of our passengers are workers from overseas based in the multinationals here who want somewhere fun to go for the weekend," says Nixon, still recovering from having bussed the Portuguese, Channel Islands and Belgian teams to the Euro Surf 2011 event in Bundoran last week. "We also get a lot of tourists from the UK because, if you're a surfer in Europe, your only decent options are Portugal and Ireland -nowhere else gets those Atlantic waves."
Tickets for the Surfbus cost €40 and for that you get a 20 per cent discount on surf lessons too. If you have your own board, you can bring it for free. Opt for the Lahinch bus and your surf tutor from Lahinch Surf Experience will even meet you off it and bring you straight to the pub, where ticket holders get a free beer. And don't worry if you emerge late at night only to realise you've no accommodation booked -
the guys at Surfbus think of everything. The bus carries two-man tents, for sale at €10 each. Just be sure to check if the bus is running before heading into town with your board - the service only runs if they get eight people or more, so booking ahead is essential. surfbus.ie
