Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty with a look at the waves for our corner of the coast.

We’ve got a solid run of surf on the horizon, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag with the conditions. The standout period is gonna be the first week, especially the middle days, before things settle down and then pick back up again in the second week.

We’re looking at Dondra as our main break, a reef setup that can handle a good push of swell. For the next few days, the water is sitting at a comfortable 82°, which is about average for this time of year.

Sunday morning, August 30th sees the start of it, with a 4ft SSW groundswell rolling in at 19 seconds. The combined energy is pumping at 1650, showing there’s plenty of water moving. The wind’s coming from the W at 16 mph, which is a cross-off breeze, keeping things clean. It’s not massive, but those long 19-second periods mean there’ll be some nice lines pushing through. Just a heads up, this break can be inconsistent and you might run into a few others out there.

The swell really builds through Monday, August 31st and into Tuesday. Monday morning has waves hitting 8ft from the SSW, with a massive 3575 combined energy. That’s some serious power! The cross-off wind holds, so expect clean, powerful waves. This is a proper session for the experienced crew—8ft on a reef is no joke for beginners. The periods are still long (17-18 seconds), meaning those sets will have plenty of punch.

By Wednesday, September 2nd, the wind starts to shift to a more cross-shore direction (WSW), and the quality takes a little dip, with a cross-chop developing. The swell is still solid at 5ft, but it gets a bit jumbled.

After that, the energy drops off into the end of the first week. By Friday, September 4th, the swell fades to around 4ft and the period drops to 10-12 seconds, with much weaker energy (497). The conditions turn more marginal, and by Saturday and Sunday it’s honestly looking poor, with small, weak waves and a messy cross-shore wind. There won’t be much worth paddling out for.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. From about the 7th of September onward, the surf gets really small, with heights around 2ft to 3ft for a few days. The combined energy drops into the low hundreds, just not enough to get excited about. The wind stays mostly cross-off, but there’s no power behind the waves.

Now, looking further out, there’s a promise of better days. By Friday, September 11th, we see another bump in the forecast. A fresh SSW groundswell is due to push in, with 6ft to 6ft waves and the combined energy jumping back up into the 1800s. The winds look favorable with a cross-off flow. This continues into Sunday, September 13th, with 7ft SSW swell hitting in the afternoon and a combined energy of 2717. That one’s a long way out, so it’s a tentative call, but the pattern is there. If it holds, that Sunday afternoon session at Dondra could be the real standout of the second week.

So, the best bet? That Monday, August 31st morning session with the 8ft SSW swell, clean cross-off wind, and a huge 3575 combined energy. That’s the one to circle. The Sunday the 13th looks like another possible highlight, but we’ll have to see how that evolves.

Stay stoked, and I’ll see you in the water.

Rusty

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