Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we gotta be straight with you – this isn't a classic Dondra run. The first surf we see is from Sunday morning, August 2nd, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. The swell is showing at 7ft from the West, with a period of 10 seconds, but it's coming in with a fresh cross-offshore breeze at 19 mph. The combined swell energy is a solid 1505 (moderate to strong), so there's plenty of water moving around. The water temp is sitting at 83°F and the anomaly is 1°F, so we're looking at conditions that are pretty average for this time of year. The real issue is the consistency – Dondra is inconsistent at the best of times, and the forecast is calling it "marginal" all the way through. The swell direction is West, but the optimum for this reef is from the SW, so it's not lighting up perfectly.

The whole first week stays pretty touch-and-go. The wind stays fresh from the West, keeping things cross-off, but the swell fluctuates. Monday the 3rd sees a drop in period to 8 seconds, which is a short, choppy wind swell, but then it jumps back to 11 seconds and a stronger 1544 energy. By Tuesday the 4th, the period jumps to 16 seconds, a proper groundswell, but the height drops to 5ft. That long period with a SSW direction is closer to the sweet spot, but the combined energy is still moderate. Wednesday and Thursday, August 5th and 6th, see the energy climb into the 1900s and 2000s, with the swell holding around 5ft to 6ft from the SSW – that's a better angle, but the wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-off, ruining the texture.

The best bet in this whole window is probably the weekend of the 8th and 9th of August. The swell size is sitting around 6ft to 7ft from the South, with periods of 14 to 18 seconds. The combined energy rockets up to 2430 and 2503, which is strong wave energy. It's a groundswell with a decent direction, but the wind is still a moderate to fresh cross-off. For a reef break, that cross-off wind can actually hold the wave face open, so it might be cleaner than it looks. The crowds here are "sometimes," so you might have some company, but it's not a circus. The 6ft to 7ft range is solid for intermediates, but it's getting a bit too much for beginners.

After that first big week, things get a bit lackluster. The swell drops off, and by the 12th of August, we're seeing short period, weak wind swell with energy under 1000. The period drops to 6 seconds, which is just a messy, short-period lump. The second week (from the 12th onward) is pretty quiet. There are a few pulses of long-period SSW swell on the 13th, 15th, and 17th, but they are small (3ft to 3ft) and the combined energy is never really strong. The wind stays moderate to fresh cross-off, but the surf is just too inconsistent and small to get excited about.

So, to put it simply: the first week is the only week with any real power, and even then, it's a struggle against the wind. If you're an experienced surfer who can handle a cross-off breeze and inconsistent sets, the weekend of August 8th and 9th is your window. The rest of the 16 days is a long stretch of small, weak, and marginal conditions. It's a tough outlook for Dondra.

Rusty.

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