Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s be real – this outlook is a tough one for the Donuts area. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a struggle, with the first decent sign of life not popping up until the very end. We’ve got a long dry spell ahead, but there’s a tiny glimmer on the horizon.

Looking at the whole picture, the swell sticks around waist-to-chest high, but the wind is nearly always a problem. Most of the time it’s cross-on or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. The water temperature is sitting at 71°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The only real standout, and I’m using that term loosely, is Donuts (a reef break that’s inconsistent and sometimes crowded). For the first two and a half weeks, every single session is rated as poor surf conditions. The wind is almost always cross-on or onshore, and the swell is small and weak. From Tuesday, September 8th, right through to Monday, September 21st, it’s a total write-off – nothing worth paddling out for.

Finally, on Tuesday, September 22nd, the morning shows a glimmer of hope. The wind goes light and onshore, with a clean 3 ft swell rolling in from the SW at a long 16 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 530. It’s still a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve got. The glassy conditions will make it clean, and that long period groundswell will have some shape, but it’s a reef break, so it might be a bit tricky. After that, the rest of the week falls back into the same poor pattern.

So, if you’re desperate, point your board towards Donuts on the morning of Tuesday, September 22nd for the cleanest – but still small – waves of the whole outlook. Keep your expectations low, and maybe bring a camera instead of a board for the rest of the time.

- Rusty

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