Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming for us.

The next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag. We're dealing with a lot of marginal surf, with the wind staying mostly cross-off from the West or WSW. It's not a total washout, but you’ll need to be patient. The real energy doesn't show up until the very end of the month.

The water is sitting at 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We start off slow. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th offer small, clean waves at Dondra (reef, inconsistent, sometimes crowded) with swell around 3ft from the SSW, period a solid 13 seconds. The energy is weak though, only 368. It's rideable, but nothing to get excited about. The wind is a steady 16 mph cross-off, so the surface will be clean, but the wave size is tiny.

Monday the 20th sees a jump in energy. The morning swell is 4ft from the south at 18 seconds, giving us a moderate energy of 1556. By the afternoon, it's pushing 6ft, same direction, 16-second period, and energy climbing to 1955. That's a solid, long-period groundswell, but with the wind still cross-off at 12 mph, it's clean. This is a good window for the intermediate crew. The long period will make the reef set up nicely, but the beach breaks might be a bit straight.

Tuesday the 21st holds similar size, 5ft from the south, with a 15-second period and energy around 1222. Still clean, still cross-off wind. This is a consistent run of decent, clean waves.

Then we hit a lull. From Wednesday the 22nd through to the 25th, the swell drops back to 2ft to 4ft, and the wind shifts to a more cross-shore direction, introducing a bit of chop. The energy drops below 700. It's a poor run of surf, and honestly, not worth paddling out for unless you're desperate.

There's a bit of a pulse on Saturday the 25th afternoon with a 4ft SSE swell, but the period drops to 10 seconds, making it weak and short-period. Not great.

Then, from Sunday the 26th through to Tuesday the 28th, we're back to 3ft from the SSW, with periods around 13-15 seconds. The energy is moderate (600-800), and the wind is back to a clean cross-off. It's a steady, unspectacular run of small, clean surf. The wind picks up to 19 mph on a couple of days, so it'll be a bit of a battle getting out.

Now, here's the standout. The real action kicks off on Wednesday the 29th of July. The swell from the SSW jumps to 4ft, but the period is a massive 21 seconds. That's a very long-period groundswell, and the energy rockets to 1871. This is a reef-special kind of swell. By Thursday the 30th, it's 5ft at 18 seconds, with energy over 1900. The wind is still cross-off, so expect clean, powerful lines. The bigger stuff is for experts only.

The real punch comes on Friday the 31st of July. The morning swell is 7ft from the SSW at 17 seconds, with energy at 3283. The afternoon pushes it to 8ft, same direction, 17-second period, and energy hits 3449. That is strong, very strong wave energy. This is heavy, powerful, and for experienced surfers only. The wind stays cross-off at 16 mph, so the surface will be clean, but the ocean will be moving. This is the best on offer, but it's a beast.

The first of August sees it drop back to 7ft, still powerful, and then it fades into the 2nd of August. It's a long-range target, so keep an eye on it, but it looks promising.

Given the persistent cross-off wind and the moderate to strong swell on the 20th and 21st, and then the big groundswell on the 29th-31st, Dondra is a reef break, so it will handle the long period well. The crowds are "sometimes" a problem, so you might get a few out, but it won't be a circus.

Rusty.

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