Donuts Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.67° N 117.25° W

Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 am 08 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Donuts sea temperature is
21.9°C
1.6° 

Donuts surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Donuts surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with 448 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period with SW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Donuts this week:

The surf forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Donuts in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Tue 15th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Best Surf 5AM (Tue 15th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Most Powerful 8AM (Thu 10th Sep)3ft (0.9m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be real, it's a quiet stretch ahead for the Donuts reef. The forecast shows a whole lot of nothing for a solid week, with poor conditions and not a single decent window until the middle of next week. The first few days are a write-off, with cross-onshore winds and choppy, messy waves. The water's sitting at a touch warmer than normal, around 71°, so that's a nice little bonus for the wait.

The first glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Wednesday, September 16. The wind is light, swinging cross-onshore, and the swell, while only 3 ft from the SW, has a very long period of 17 seconds. This is proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy registers at 435 (moderate). Even though it's only a marginal forecast with tide concerns, the clean conditions and that long-period juice could make for some surprisingly fun, lined-up waves, especially on a reef like Donuts that handles the long period well. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might not have it all to yourself.

After that, the pattern holds. The rest of the 16-day window is a list of poor surf, with light winds but the swell never really gets its act together. There are a few more marginal days showing on the 20th and 21st of September, with the swell climbing back to 3 ft and a solid 17-19 second period, but the winds are either onshore or light cross-onshore. These are your best bets for a clean, long-period session, but it's never going to be pumping. The surf stays small, never breaking the 3 ft mark on the good days, so it's a fin-tune kind of period.

Honestly, there's no standout day here. The best of a quiet bunch is the morning of Wednesday, September 16 for the cleanest conditions with that long period. If you're desperate for a paddle, the mornings of the 20th and 21st are worth a look, but don't expect fireworks.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue night, min 21°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri morning, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
SSW
10
1
SSW
10
0.9
SW
9
0.6
SW
16
0.7
SW
16
0.8
SW
17
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
15
0.8
SW
15
0.8
SW
15
0.8
SW
14
0.7
SW
14
0.6
SW
14
1.1
W
8
1.1
W
8
1.1
W
9
1.2
W
9
1.1
W
9
0.5
SW
17
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
212
208
130
214
267
342
437
416
411
395
309
301
248
200
155
142
157
207
220
177
145
Wind (km/h)
25
NW
15
NNW
15
NNW
10
W
10
WNW
10
SSW
15
SSW
15
SSW
15
S
20
S
15
SSW
10
SSW
15
SW
10
W
5
WSW
15
SSW
10
WSW
5
SW
15
SSW
10
SSW
10
SSW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
on
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
High Tide
8:25AM1.38m
7:49PM1.91m
8:53AM1.49m
8:34PM1.91m
9:23AM1.59m
9:16PM1.83m
9:52AM1.66m
9:56PM1.71m
10:21AM1.70m
10:37PM1.55m
10:50AM1.70m
11:19PM1.36m
11:17AM1.66m
00:05AM1.17m
Low Tide
1:52PM0.49m
2:48AM-0.20m
2:37PM0.34m
3:20AM-0.15m
3:19PM0.23m
3:49AM-0.05m
4:01PM0.16m
4:17AM0.08m
4:42PM0.14m
4:42AM0.24m
5:24PM0.16m
5:05AM0.41m
6:08PM0.22m
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
6:30
6:31
6:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:04
7:02
7:01
7:00
6:59
6:58
6:55
 mm
Temp °C
25
25
26
25
24
23
23
22
21
21
21
21
20
20
20
20
21
21
20
20
20
Feels °C
25
23
25
25
24
25
24
22
22
20
20
22
21
20
21
20
21
23
19
19
21
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Donuts Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Donuts provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Donuts can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Donuts surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Donuts) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Donuts may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Donuts is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Coronado. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Coronado. Coronado has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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