Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real about the next 16 days at Donuts. I’ve looked at the numbers and, honestly, it’s a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with nothing really on the cards for a while.

The first proper session we can talk about starts on Friday, July 31st. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises when you dive in.

Donuts is a sheltered reef break, and it’s inconsistent by nature, which means it needs a specific combo to fire. Over this whole period, the swell is coming from the SSW and SW, but the break really wants a W swell to be at its best. So we’re fighting the direction all the way.

The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, with values mostly sitting between 145 and 617. The energy is there, but it’s not translating into good shape. The wind is a major issue. For almost the entire forecast, it’s onshore or cross-onshore, coming from the W, WNW, and WSW. That’s just blowing the top off any potential. There’s a brief window on Friday, August 7th morning with a light W wind and a very long period SSW swell of 19 seconds, but the swell height is only 2 ft. That long period (over 15 seconds) is a classic groundswell, which at a reef can be absolutely perfect, but with that tiny size and the wind state being “on,” it’s just not going to stand up. The waves will be too weak and blown out.

The swell heights rarely get above 4 ft, and through the second week they’re consistently in the 1 ft to 3 ft range. Given the short period through most of the first week (13-14 seconds), the energy is low and the waves will be weak and crumbly. The standout for the entire period, if you can even call it that, is the morning of August 7th. That 19-second period is a tease, but it’s a long-range call and the size just isn’t there to back it up.

For the rest of the run, from July 31st right through to August 15th, we’ve got a solid two-week gap of poor surf. The wind stays messy, the swell direction is wrong, and the heights are tiny. It’s a real bummer, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. It’s a blank run. Don’t bother checking the buoys or the charts; just wait for the next system. The setup is so weak and windy that if you’re desperate for a tow, a kite might be more fun than a paddle board.

Rusty.

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