Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, your local surf reporter. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for Donuts is a tough one. There’s a big gap of nothing at the start, and even when swell shows up, the conditions are often messy. But there’s a glimmer of hope right at the very end if you’re patient.

We kick off with a long, flat spell. From Friday the 21st of August right through to the morning of Tuesday the 25th of August, it’s all poor surf with tiny, weak swell. The waves are below 2ft, the combined energy is weak (under 370), and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on. Honestly, not worth paddling out for.

Things start to look a little more interesting on Wednesday the 26th of August. A pulse of SSW swell pushes through, with heights around 6ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon. The combined energy jumps to 1600 and 1144 (moderate energy), and the swell period is 15 seconds – a proper groundswell. But here’s the rub: the wind is a moderate cross-shore 12 mph in the morning, making it choppy, and light cross-onshore in the afternoon. The surf is still marginal. For a reef break like Donuts, that long period (15s) can mean a bit of a wait between sets, but the shape might be okay. Still, I’d call it a maybe for intermediate surfers, not a standout.

Thursday the 27th of August drops back down to 4ft with a 11-second period, and the wind is cross-shore. It’s marginal again. Then we hit another dry spell from Friday the 28th of August through to Monday the 31st of August, with tiny swell and poor conditions. Not much to get excited about.

The first few days of September are pretty flat too, with small, weak swell and cross-on winds. Then, on Thursday the 3rd of September, we get a little moment. The afternoon session shows a 3ft SSW swell at 14 seconds, with glassy conditions – that’s a rare treat. The combined energy is 592 (moderate), and the water temperature is about 69°F, which is normal for this time of year. This is the closest thing to a standout in the whole outlook. The surf should be clean and fun, but it’s small, so don’t expect barrels.

The final real highlight comes on Friday the 4th of September. The afternoon sees a 5ft S swell at 15 seconds, with a light cross-shore breeze and combined energy of 1582 (moderate). The next day, Saturday the 5th of September, brings the biggest swell of the window: 7ft in the morning, 7ft in the afternoon, from the SSW at 14 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1771 and 1571. But, the wind is onshore in both sessions, which means it’ll be lumpy and messy. For a reef break, that’s a disappointment. This swell is only for experienced surfers, and even then, the conditions aren’t doing it any favours.

Best bet of the whole fortnight? Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon at Donuts. That glassy, clean 3ft S swell is your window for a quiet, fun session. The Friday and Saturday after that have more size, but the wind ruins it. Keep the board waxed for that Thursday arvo.

Rusty.

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