Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at the forecast for Dondra. It’s a tricky run ahead, with nothing that really screams “drop everything and go.” The whole 16-day window is a series of marginal calls, so don’t expect any magic days. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no nasty surprises there.

The first few days from Monday the 24th of August through to Wednesday the 26th are small. Swell hangs around 3 ft to 5 ft from the SSW, with a long period of 15–17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, but the energy is fickle—ranging from 1017 to 976 (moderate). Winds are cross-off from the west, keeping things clean, but the wave comment says it’s a marginal surf forecast. It’s a reef break that’s inconsistent and sometimes crowded, so you might get a few clean ones, but it’s not firing.

Now, Thursday the 27th of August sees a bit more size. The morning pushes 6 ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 2542 (strong). Winds are cross-off, so it’s clean. The afternoon drops to 5 ft but still has good energy at 1649. This is the best on offer in the first week. The thing is, at 6 ft, it’s still in the intermediate zone, not too big for most, but the inconsistency makes it a gamble. The long period means it’ll peel nicely on the reef, but expect long lulls between sets.

The second week starts with a bit of a drop. Friday the 28th of August has 5 ft but cross winds from the WSW at 15 mph, making it lumpy. The energy drops to 1121–1163 (moderate). Saturday the 29th is smaller, 4 ft, with cleaner cross-off winds. Sunday the 30th looks interesting with 4 ft–5 ft from the SSW, period 18–19 seconds, and energy builds back to 1845 (strong) in the afternoon. That’s a standout for the second week—clean, long-period groundswell, but still a marginal call.

The end of the window, from Monday the 31st of August, sees a peak in size. The morning hits 7 ft from the SSW, period 18 seconds, and energy is 3108 (strong). That’s getting into expert territory—over 8 ft would be too big for beginners, but here it’s just at the edge. The winds are cross-off, clean. The following days hold 6 ft–7 ft, but winds turn a bit cross on Tuesday the 1st of September, creating a lumpy chop. After that, it tapers off into the 3 ft–4 ft range with shorter periods, and the energy drops to 271 on the 8th of September, which is weak.

Overall, the standout moment is the stretch from the 27th of August through to the 31st of August. The swell is solid, the period is long, and the winds are mostly offshore. But it’s inconsistent and often crowded, so you’ll be competing for waves. The rest of the run is small and marginal. Keep your expectations in check.

Rusty.

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