Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here with the imperial read. It’s gonna be a slow start at Dondra, so don’t rush out the door, but there’s a solid punch of swell coming mid-week that might just be worth the wait.

Overall Pattern
The first few days are pretty average. Combined swell energy is moderate (858) on Friday morning with a 3ft SSE swell at 11 seconds – short-period wind swell, nothing special. Winds are cross-off from the W at 16 mph, so it’ll be clean but small. Saturday drops to a weak 5ft W swell at a short 7 seconds (energy only 654), and Sunday stays tiny. The whole opening week is a grind – the forecast calls out “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions” for every session. Water temp is 80°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The Mid-Week Window (Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th August)
This is where it gets interesting. Monday afternoon sees the swell start to build: 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 22-second period (energy up to 1464 – moderate into strong territory). Tuesday is the real standout: a solid 7ft SSW swell (19-second period) with combined energy screaming to 4077 – that’s strong wave energy. Winds are cross-off from the W at 16 mph, keeping it clean. Wednesday holds at 7ft SSW (17-second period). With the swell size over 5ft, it’s intermediate territory, and over 7ft, you’re looking at expert-only unless you know your limits. The very long periods (over 15 seconds) mean Dondra’s reef should handle it well, but expect longer lulls between sets. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so it won’t be empty, but it’s not a circus. This three-day window is your best bet.

Second Week (Thursday 22nd August onwards)
The size drops after Thursday. Thursday morning is still 8ft SSW (16 seconds, energy 2806), but the wind swings cross-shore from the WSW at 16 mph, putting a bit of chop on it. Friday 21st is down to 5ft SSW (14 seconds). Saturday and Sunday (22nd-23rd) stay around 5ft to 6ft (S swell, 13-17 seconds) with clean cross-off winds, but the energy slides back to moderate (1034-1633). The rest of the run to the end of August is small and average: 2ft to 5ft, mostly SSW groundswell, with periods ranging 12-17 seconds, but energy is weak to moderate (475-1177). It’s surfable, but nothing to set an alarm for.

Highlight: Tuesday 18th August – 7ft SSW, 19-second period, strong energy (4077), with clean cross-off wind. That’s your power window.

Crowds and Warnings – Dondra is an inconsistent reef break, so when it does fire, expect a few heads out – listed as “sometimes.” With the longer-period groundswells, wave quality will be better, but the waits will be longer. Swell over 6ft is no place for beginners.

Water Temp – 80°F is normal for now.

Sign-off – The first week is a write-off, but that Tuesday session is calling. Keep an eye on the charts and be ready to move. Rusty out.

Read more