Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Donuts over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a tough one for the next week and a half. The forecast is pretty much a long stretch of small, messy, and cross-onshore conditions. We’re looking at a solid gap of days with nothing really worth paddling out for. The first few days, from Tuesday the 14th right through to Wednesday the 22nd of July, are all showing poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the SW, and the wind is almost always cross or cross-onshore, keeping things choppy and bumpy. The combined wave energy is mostly weak to moderate, with values like 266 to 472 (weak to moderate energy), so there’s just no power in the water. It’s one of those runs where you’d be better off checking the forecasts again later.

Now, there is a glimmer of hope come Thursday the 23rd of July. The afternoon session finally shows a shift. We get a clean window with light SSE winds at 3 mph, which is a cross-off breeze, and the water should be clean. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the SSW with a period of 14 seconds, giving it some decent groundswell punch. The energy jumps to 829 (moderate wave energy). The comment says "expect good surf conditions" – this is the only real standout in the whole two weeks. Keep in mind, Donuts is an inconsistent reef break, and it’s sheltered, so when it gets a clean window like this, it can be a gem. The water temperature is sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

From Friday the 24th through the weekend, the swell gets bigger, but the wind turns back to a cross-onshore from the NW. The heights get up to 6ft to 7ft, and the energy gets strong (values like 1572 and 2366), but it's all blown out and choppy. The break is a reef, so with that period around 14-16 seconds, the waves might have some shape, but the messy wind will ruin it. This setup is probably more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing unless you’re desperate for a beatdown.

After that, the last few days from the 26th to the 29th drop back down to smaller, cleaner-ish but still weak swells, with more cross-onshore winds. Nothing to get excited about.

So, the only real standout is the afternoon of Thursday the 23rd of July. If you can get out there for that window, you might find the best waves of the next two weeks. Otherwise, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

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