Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for your local stretch. I’ve got to be honest, looking at the whole 16-day window, the news isn’t great. This is going to be a proper lean spell, so don’t get your hopes up for anything meaningful.

We’re talking about a classic sheltered setup, Donuts. It’s a reef break that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and we’re right in the middle of a blank run. For the next few days, and I mean a good chunk of them, the conditions are just poor. The swell is weak, the wind is messy, and you’d be fighting a losing battle.

Let’s start from Friday, September 11th. It’s a complete write-off. We’ve got a weak 3ft SW swell, but it’s coming with a cross-shore wind and the notes say poor surf. The water is sitting at 73°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be cold when you’re sitting there disappointed.

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are more of the same. Tiny 2ft to 3ft SW swells with onshore or cross-onshore breezes. The wave comment stays locked on “poor surf conditions” right through. There’s just no energy to work with here.

As we move into Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th, we get a glimmer of a longer period swell pushing through – we’re talking 18 to 20 seconds – which is proper groundswell, but the size is pathetically small. The wind is still cross-onshore or onshore, so even that long-period potential gets trashed. The combined energy is moderate, but it’s all wasted with the poor conditions.

Things don’t improve. From the 16th through to the 18th, the wind is still coming from the wrong direction. The wave comment only ever gets as high as "marginal" on a couple of the morning slots, like Wednesday the 16th. But let’s be real, "marginal" just means you might get a couple of closeouts before you’re done.

You have to wait all the way until the second week, around the 20th and 21st of September, to see the combined energy start to nudge up a bit. The swell direction holds from the SW, with a period around 17-18 seconds, and the wave energy ramps up. That sounds promising on paper, but again, the wind is a nuisance. You’re looking at cross-onshore or onshore for most of it, and the wave comment still says "poor surf conditions" or "marginal." For a sheltered reef, you need the wind to be offshore or glassy to make it work, and we just aren’t getting that.

The final days, from the 22nd to the 26th, fizzle out. The swell drops back, the wind stays messy, and the energy levels fall off again. The last entry on Saturday the 26th shows a moderate breeze at 12 mph from the NW, cross-onshore, and a weak 2ft swell.

Look, the only time this spot even flirts with being interesting is on the 20th and 21st if that long-period SW groundswell can stand up, but with the onshore or cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a bumpy, frustrating mess. Not worth your time for a paddle session – maybe the kite guys could have a look.

This is one of those periods where you just have to wait for the next forecast run. The break is inconsistent anyway, so a blank few weeks isn’t unusual. Keep the board waxed, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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