Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the next couple of weeks at Doheney Beach.

Honestly, the first few days are going to be a bit of a grind. The waves are small and a little all over the place, with that SSW swell getting tangled up with the light cross-onshore breezes. It’s the kind of surf that’s hard to get excited about, mostly ankle to knee-high junk. There's a bit of clean-up on Tuesday afternoon the 25th with the wind turning cross-offshore, but the swell is still weak. It’s not really worth rushing out for unless you’re desperate and just want to get wet.

We do see a pulse of south swell building on Wednesday the 26th, with wave heights jumping to about 4.6ft and the energy climbing, but the wind swings straight onshore. That's a heartbreaker, mate, it's going to chop it all up. That onshore wind sticks around for a few days, making things messy, even though the swell tries to hold on. Thursday and the weekend are looking pretty average, the wind being the main issue.

There are a few windows where the wind lightens up and goes cross-offshore, like late Saturday afternoon the 29th and again on Tuesday the 3rd of September. Those will be your cleanest options, but the swell is still modest, around 3.6ft, and the energy is only moderate. It’ll be rideable but far from epic. The period does get up into the 16-17 second range on those days, so there's a bit of push behind it, but the size keeps it from being anything special.

Now, let’s talk about the standout. It’s a bit of a wait, but Thursday afternoon, the 4th of September, looks like the pick of the fortnight. The swell is back to about 4ft from the SSW with a solid 16-second period, and the energy is strong. Best of all, the wind is forecast to be a clean cross-offshore breeze. That’s the combo you want. The waves should have some proper shape to them, with lined-up shoulders and a bit of grunt. It’s not huge, but it will be clean and fun.

After that, the onshores come back for the weekend and the windows get smaller. We do see one last pulse of bigger, short-period swell (8.2ft, 8 seconds) showing up on Tuesday the 8th. That’s a lot of water moving, and the energy is very strong, but that combo of size and short period at a beach break is going to be a washing machine. That’s expert-only territory with the potential for some heavy, shut-down waves. For most, this setup is going to look more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers. It's a messy, powerful close-out.

So, to sum it all up: don't bother for the first week and a half. The best bet on offer is that Thursday the 4th; mark it in your calendar but keep expectations in check for long-range. The long period makes it better suited to a reef like this, so there should be some fun ones to be had.

It’s been real. Get out there when you can.

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