Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what we've got coming up. It's a bit of a mixed bag for Dondra, but there are a couple of pulses worth circling on the calendar.

The main story is a persistent, strong cross-offshore wind (W to WSW, 12-19 mph) that hangs around for most of the period. That wind direction is actually a big positive for Dondra, keeping the reef line clean. The water is sitting at a warm 84°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won't need much more than a spring suit.

We start off with a bit of a slow grind. Monday and Tuesday (14th-15th September) have solid southwest groundswell, around 3.6 ft to 5.2 ft, with a nice, long period of 14-18 seconds. The energy is pumped up, so you can feel the weight. But the wind is fresh and the tide or conditions are putting a lid on quality. The standout early window is Wednesday morning, the 16th. It's still cross-off, but the wind drops to a gentle breeze (9 mph) and the swell is a clean 4.3 ft with 14-second period energy. It's a good window for experienced surfers to get some.

The pattern then gets a bit messy with a lot of "risk tstorm" in the forecast through the weekend. The swell does build again, with Saturday the 19th seeing good 6.2 ft to 6.9 ft SSW swell but the morning wind is strong at 16 mph and conditions are just "marginal." The biggest pulse of the whole outlook actually shows up much later, on the 27th of September. Sunday morning offers a solid 5.9 ft SSW groundswell with a very long, powerful 19-second period, and the energy is massive. The wind is a clean cross-off at 16 mph. This is the true standout on the charts—a big, clean groundswell. Keep in mind though, this is a long-range call, so it's promising but not locked in yet. Dondra is a reef and handles a long period like that beautifully, but that size (5.9 ft) is starting to get into expert territory.

Overall, it's a fortnight of waiting for the best windows. A lot of the time it's surfable but not epic. The best bet for this week is Wednesday morning (16th) for a cleaner session, and keep a very close eye on that Sunday (27th) pulse two weeks out—that's the one that could be a proper session.

Read more