Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what we’ve got coming up at Dondra.

First off, the water is sitting at 84° – a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the wetsuit at home. That’s a nice bonus.

We’ve got a long run of surf ahead, but honestly, it’s a tough one to call a standout. The pattern is persistent: a solid, long-period groundswell from the SSW is hanging around for days, with combined wave energy mostly in the strong range – numbers like 1706 and 1610 tell you there’s plenty of juice. The problem is the wind. It’s cross-offshore from the west, blowing at 16 mph most mornings and afternoons, which keeps things looking clean on paper but that wind strength is constantly on it, limiting the real quality. The swell is mostly 5 ft to 6 ft, with periods of 14 to 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, and at a reef break like Dondra, that long period can mean some real nice lines. But with that steady breeze, it’s never gonna be glassy perfection.

Sunday the 13th through to Tuesday the 15th is your most consistent window, with swell in the 4 ft to 6 ft range and clean conditions. It’s marginal, but doable. The best chance is probably Sunday morning: 6 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, combined energy 1706 – that’s decent grunt, and the cross-off wind keeps the face manageable. For an intermediate surfer, that’s the go. Keep in mind Dondra is inconsistent, so you might have to wait for the sets, but when they come, they’ll have some push.

Then we hit a rougher patch. From Saturday the 19th onward, the wind picks up to 19 mph, and by Sunday the 20th it goes full cross-shore, with lumpy cross-chop and scores dropping off a cliff. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest. Swell size bumps up – 7 ft on Saturday the 19th afternoon, and a big 10 ft on Monday the 21st morning – but that’s expert territory only, and the wind is just messy.

After the 23rd, it gets worse: poor surf conditions, lumpy chop, and weak energy – numbers drop below 900. There’s a small window on the 27th and 28th with cleaner cross-off wind and 4 ft to 4 ft SSW swell, but the energy is only moderate (925 to 1236). It’s a long wait for nothing special.

So, if you’re going to paddle out, aim for this Sunday the 13th or Monday the 14th. That’s your best shot. The rest is a grind.

Rusty

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