Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. The swell is hanging around, but the quality just isn't there. The wave comment keeps calling it "poor surf conditions" right through. We're looking at a long stretch of nothing to get excited about.

The only break on the cards is Donuts. It’s a sheltered reef setup, best on a west swell, and it breaks inconsistently. Water temp is sitting at 73°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won't need the thickest wetsuit.

From Monday the 14th of September onwards, the surf is just sad. We start with a west swell around 3ft, but the wind is cross-onshore and the combined swell energy is moderate at 388. It's just not clean. The period is a short 10 seconds, so nothing special there.

Tuesday the 15th drops off to 2ft, a bit of a south-west groundswell at 16 seconds, but the wind is messy and cross. The energy is moderate (260).

Wednesday the 16th has a tiny 1ft to 3ft west swell. The energy picks up a little to 401 at one point, but it’s still only rated as marginal or poor. Winds are light but still cross-onshore or onshore.

From Thursday the 17th right through the end of the month, we see a steady run of west or south-west swells between 2ft and 3ft. Periods vary from 12 to 19 seconds. Combined energy values climb into the moderate to strong range, hitting between 260 and 607. But here’s the kicker: every single entry says "poor surf conditions." The wind is always cross-onshore or onshore, never clean.

There is no standout day. No window of magic. The swell direction is always from the west or south-west, which is the optimum direction for Donuts, but the wind just won't cooperate. Even when the period gets long, like 19 seconds, the wind chops it up.

So what do we do? For a reef break like Donuts that needs clean conditions to shine, this is a write-off for paddle surfing. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the persistent onshore wind and consistent swell push.

Hang in there. It tends not to stay poor for long, but this time, it's a blank run. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, leave the board on the rack.

Rusty.

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