Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a patchy run of surf coming up at Dondra, a reef break, but don’t get too excited just yet. The forecast is a bit of a mixed bag with plenty of marginal conditions to sift through.

Right off the bat, the first few days are pretty ordinary. Wednesday the 2nd through to Friday the 4th have some chest-high swell rolling in, around 5 ft to 5 ft, coming from the SSW with a long period of 13 to 15 seconds. That long-period groundswell is promising for a reef setup like Dondra, but the wind is cross-shore and fresh, blowing at 12 to 16 mph, putting a chop on the face. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong, ranging from 744 to 1364, so there’s power, but the wind is ruining it. It’s not surfable in any kind of clean way.

The weekend doesn’t get much better. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th see the swell dropping to 4 ft and then 3 ft, with period shortening to 10 seconds on Saturday. There’s a brief window Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon where the wind goes cross-offshore, offering cleaner conditions, but the swell is weak. The combined energy drops to 511 and then 396, so it’s small and weak. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

Then we hit a real flat patch. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th are poor to marginal, with swell down to 3 ft and 3 ft. The energy is low, between 252 and 675. There’s a clean-up Tuesday morning with a 16-second period swell from the SSW, but the size is just knee-to-waist high at best. Not a standout.

Now, here’s where things start to get interesting. Thursday the 10th brings a bump in swell, back up to 4 ft, with a 17-second period from the SSW. The wind is cross-offshore and clean, and the combined energy climbs to 1131. This is the first real glimmer of hope.

The real standout, though, is Friday the 11th. We’ve got a very long-period groundswell, 21 seconds, coming from the SSW, with a solid 4 ft of swell. The combined energy jumps way up to 2270 – that’s strong, powerful energy. The wind stays cross-offshore, so the waves will be clean and well-shaped. This is the best day on offer, but remember, with that super long period, it might be a bit straight at the beach, but for a reef, it’ll be a treat.

Saturday the 12th is a big one, but only for experts. The swell pumps up to 7 ft from the SSW, with a 17-second period. The combined energy is a whopping 3051 – very strong. The wind is cross-offshore but fresh at 19 mph. That’s a lot of power, and with that size, it’s for experienced surfers only. It’s not the best quality due to the wind, but the energy is undeniable.

The following week, from Sunday the 13th to Thursday the 17th, we see a slow drop back down. Swell stays between 4 ft and 6 ft, with periods of 14 to 18 seconds. The wind is mostly cross-offshore, keeping things clean, but the energy drops to the 1000 to 2200 range. There’s a bit of a pulse again on Tuesday the 15th with 6 ft and 1855 energy, and Wednesday the 16th afternoon has another 21-second pulse with 2065 energy. Thursday the 17th morning brings 5 ft with 2214 energy and a fresh breeze. These are decent but not as good as that Friday the 11th.

For the highlight, Friday the 11th is your pick. Dondra (Sri Lanka) with that 4 ft SSW swell at 21 seconds, clean cross-offshore wind, and strong energy. It’s the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a reef break that’s inconsistent and can get crowded sometimes, but when it lines up like this, it’ll be worth the wait.

Rusty.

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