Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at Donuts.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough run. The swell is there, but it’s fighting a losing battle with the wind direction almost every day. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions stacked up, so don’t get your hopes up for any quick fixes.

We start off on Monday, July 27th, with a 4ft SSW groundswell rolling in at a long 18 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (995). But the wind is cross-onshore, and the report calls it poor surf. Not a good look. The water is sitting at 72°F, which is 5°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a notable anomaly, making it feel much warmer than a typical July dip.

Tuesday, July 28th, the swell bumps up a little to 4ft from the SW, still with that long period (17s), and energy is moderate (1041). But again, it’s cross-onshore and choppy. The morning is called “marginal” at best, but the afternoon is just poor. No good.

Wednesday the 29th, Thursday the 30th, and Friday the 31st are more of the same. Swell stays around 4ft to 5ft, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. The wave period drops from 16s down to 13s. The energy drops too, going from 998 down to 823. It’s just messy. By Friday, the surf is still poor.

We go into August, and by Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd, the swell has dropped significantly – down to 2ft by Sunday. The energy is weak (263). The wind is cross-shore, making it a complete write-off. The drop continues through the first week of August. Swell stays tiny, under 2ft, and the energy readings are all below 300. The wind is still onshore or cross-onshore. It’s flat and choppy.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on Friday, August 7th, with a 2ft SW groundswell and a period of 19 seconds, and energy climbing back up to 480. But it’s still a cross-onshore wind, and the report says poor surf. The same pattern repeats right through to the end of the outlook on August 11th. The swell tries to get a bit of length back, but the wind just won’t cooperate.

There are no standouts here. The best you could say is that Thursday afternoon, July 30th, is called “marginal” with a 5ft SSW swell, but it’s onshore wind. And Saturday, August 8th, afternoon is also called “marginal” with a 3ft SSW swell and onshore wind. But “marginal” is being generous. Donuts is a reef break, and it’s inconsistent, which is normal for this spot. The optimum swell direction is from the west, but we’re getting mostly SW and SSW swells, which isn’t a perfect match.

For the whole 16 days, there is no day I’d recommend paddling out. The wind is just too much of a factor. If you’re really desperate, you might find something small and weak on Saturday, August 8th, in the afternoon, but don’t expect much. This is a long, blank run for surf, and it’s more normal for this area to have stretches like this. Kite surfers might have a better time with the cross-shore winds on the 2nd and 3rd of August.

Rusty.

Read more