Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Donuts are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of onshore and cross-onshore wind, and even when the swell tries to push through, the conditions are going to keep it from being anything worth paddling out for. The first real glimmer of anything surfable doesn’t show up until the morning of Thursday the 3rd, and even then it’s marginal, with a bit of bump on it. Before that, from Thursday the 27th right through to Wednesday the 2nd, it’s basically a write-off—flat to small, messy, and blown out. You’re looking at a solid six or seven days of frustration before anything remotely rideable appears.

The energy does pick up a bit going into September. The combined energy readings climb into the 1300s on the 3rd, which is a moderate push, and the swell is coming from the southwest at 6ft with a 13-second period. But the wind swings northwest and it’s cross-onshore, so the surface is going to be choppy. It’s not the kind of day you call friends about. The morning of Sunday the 6th has a bit of a lull in the wind, but the swell drops back under 3ft and the period shortens up to 14 seconds. Still, the conditions are only rated marginal—the tide and wind are just not aligning.

Now, there is one bright spot, and it’s a few days out. On the morning of Tuesday the 8th, the wind drops right out and we get that rare, beautiful thing: glassy conditions. The swell is small—only 2ft—but it’s coming from the southwest with an 18-second period. That’s long-period groundswell, and it’ll have some push and shape to it, even if it’s not big. This is the standout of the whole period. It’s a morning session for the patient surfer on a longboard or a fish. The break is inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting between sets, but when they come through, they’ll be clean and peeling. The water temp is right around average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, it fades back into the same onshore mess. The 9th and 10th have more cross-onshore wind, and the swell stays in the 3ft to 3ft range, but it’s all wind-affected. Don’t expect much. The long-range stuff is promising but nothing you should be planning a trip around. Keep your expectations low, and if you’re keen, the morning of the 8th is your window.

Rusty

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