Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you, lookin' at the charts for this place... it's a grind. We got one spot called Dondra, and it's inconsistent at the best of times, and this forecast is a long, slow tease. There's nothing happening right now and not a single real standout session in the whole 16 days.

Your first sniff might come on Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd. Dondra's a reef break, exposed to the SW, so when it turns on, it's got potential. But we're startin' with a weak 4ft S swell, period around 13 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 620, but the wind is cross-shore and the report calls it "marginal." Don't get your hopes up.

The next few days into late July are a bust. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are flat or near-flat with "poor surf conditions." The swell just disappears. You're lookin' at a gap of several days with basically nothing rideable. The wind stays moderate cross-shore or cross-off, but the wave height just ain't there. By Friday afternoon the 24th, we get a tiny 2ft SW groundswell with a period of 14 seconds, energy of 469, and the wind cleans up to a cross-off. It's better, but it's still marginal.

The best of a bad lot looks like it might be Saturday the 25th. The afternoon shows a 5ft SSE swell, but the period drops to a short 10 seconds, givin' it a less powerful feel, even if the total energy jumps to 861. The wind goes cross-offshore, so it'll be clean on the surface. Still, the report says marginal. You might snag a few, but it's not gonna be epic. This pattern of marginal surf with clean cross-off winds in the afternoon continues through the end of July and into early August. The morning slots are generally too messy with cross-shore winds.

Now, into the first week of August, the swell direction swings to the SSW and the period starts to push up, hittin' 15 to 20 seconds. This is real groundswell. The combined energy values get strong, regularly over 1000, peaking like at 1596 on the afternoon of July 31st and 1514 on August 2nd. The wave heights stay between 3ft and 5ft, so it's not a big swell, but that long period means it will have some punch. The wind looks generally offshore or cross-offshore, so the conditions will be clean.

Here's the thing, though. Dondra is a reef break, and a long-period swell from the SSW like this, with 15 to 20 seconds between waves... that'll be good for shape and make paddlin' out easier with longer lulls. But the swell size is small, and Dondra is inconsistent. It rarely fires. The crowds are *sometimes* a factor there, so you might have a few others out. For a week out, this is a promising but less certain call. The Wednesday, August 5th morning run shows a 4ft SSW swell with a 19-second period (very long period), energy at 1477, and clean cross-off wind. That's the session in the whole window that has the best potential. And Thursday, August 6th holds 5ft SSW swell with 16-second period and strong energy around 1400, again with clean winds.

But overall? This is a dry spell for the area. If you're an intermediate, you might find a few clean waves on those August afternoons, but don't expect much. For a beginner, the swell tops out around 5ft, so it's manageable, but the long period can make it a bit tricky. For an expert, it's never gonna get big enough to get stoked about. Honestly, with the consistent clean cross-off winds and that long period groundswell energy, this whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than for a paddle surfer. The waves are small, but the wind is right for it.

Keep an eye on the charts, things can change, but for now, I'd say give it a miss.

Rusty

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