Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ out there. The only spot on the cards over this 16-day stretch is Dondra, a reef break. It’s inconsistent, so we’re not talking about a solid, everyday kind of wave, but when it does pulse, there’s something to work with.

The water’s sitting at 83° with barely any temperature anomaly, so it’s pretty standard for this time of year – no surprises there.

First up, Sunday the 5th of July kicks things off. We’ve got a west swell rollin’ in around 6 ft with an 8-second period. The combined energy’s sitting at 850 (moderate), but that short period means the waves are a bit crumbly and gutless. The wind’s a moderate cross-offshore from the west at 16 mph, which is decent for keeping the face relatively clean, but the surf is pretty marginal. A tide issue or just a messy forecast is keeping it from being a standout.

Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th see the swell drop a touch to 5–6 ft, but the period lifts to a more respectable 10 seconds. Energy climbs from 862 up into the 1087–1190 range by Tuesday afternoon (moderate to strong). Still cross-off wind, still clean. The waves are okay, but nothing to write home about – still tagged as marginal. A bit of a risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon adds some spice to the air, but not the water.

Wednesday the 8th of July is interesting. The morning holds a 6 ft west swell, but by the afternoon we see a direction shift to SSW with a 14-second period and a solid energy reading of 1290 (strong). That long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely to a reef setup like Dondra, with clean faces and more power. This is starting to look like the first decent window.

Thursday the 9th of July is where things start to really hum. The morning still has a solid 5 ft west swell at 11 seconds, but the arvo is the real highlight: 5 ft from the SSW with a very long 16-second period, and the energy hitting 1761 (very strong). That’s proper groundswell. The wind stays cross-offshore at 16 mph. For a reef break, that long period is ideal – long, lined-up walls with plenty of push. This is the best session of the week. A bit of a risk of thunderstorms, but worth the gamble.

Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th carry on the run of good swell. Friday brings 6 ft from the west at 12 seconds, with energy around 1739–1769 (very strong). Saturday also holds 6 ft from the west at 11 seconds. Both days have that same clean, cross-off breeze. Consistency is not Dondra’s strong point, but this run of days is a gift.

From Sunday the 12th of July into the second week, the swell drops back. Sunday morning is 5 ft at 10 seconds, easing to 4 ft from the south at 13 seconds in the arvo. The combined energy is still moderate to strong (953–1045). The long-period south swells start to dominate from Monday the 13th onward, with periods pushing 19–21 seconds, but the heights drop to 2–4 ft. Those very long periods mean the waves will be super clean, peeling lines at Dondra, but they’ll be small and the sets will be few and far between. The energy readings are still high relative to the size (up to 1415), which tells you there’s a lot of deep-water punch on those rare sets. Not for the impatient.

The tail end of the second week from the 17th of July looks a bit sketchy. The wind swings more cross-shore, and we get a poor surf call on the 17th with a cross-chop. A small spike on Saturday the 18th with a 5 ft swell from the SSW at 9 seconds (short period) and moderate cross-shore wind, but it’s messy. The last few days from the 19th into the 20th settle back down with clean cross-off winds and swell around 3–5 ft from the south, but nothing that’ll spin your head.

Honestly, the true standout here is Thursday the 9th of July afternoon: 5 ft of long-period SSW groundswell, very strong energy, clean cross-off wind. Dondra’s an inconsistent reef, so when it lines up like that, you get in the water.

Rusty

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