
Surf Forecasts:
Donuts surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with 371 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 13s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Donuts this week:
The surf forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Donuts in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next stretch.
Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough run ahead. The swell is coming in, but the quality just isn’t there for a proper paddle. For the entire 16-day window, every single recorded session is flagged as poor surf conditions. That’s a whole lot of days with nothing to get excited about, starting from now and running all the way through.
The only spot we’ve got to work with is Donuts, a sheltered reef. The water temp on the first day is sitting at 73°F, which is a solid 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a very unusual warm spell, so you’ll be comfortable in a shorty or less.
Now, let’s break it down. The first recommendation comes in on Wednesday afternoon, August 5th. Swell is a tiny 2 ft coming from the SW with a period of 14 seconds. That’s a clean, long-period groundswell, but it’s weak. The combined energy is only 131 (moderate). The wind is onshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is a bummer. It’s going to be messy.
Thursday, August 6th, the swell bumps up just a touch to 2 ft to 2 ft, still SW, period dropping to 13 seconds. The wind stays onshore, light at 6 mph. The energy climbs a bit (172 to 237), but it’s still poor.
Friday, August 7th, morning sees a bigger period jump to 19 seconds from the SSW, swell at 2 ft, and the energy hits 387 (moderate). The wind is onshore light, so the swell has some grunt, but the shape will be tough to manage at a sheltered reef. By afternoon, the wind goes cross-onshore, making it choppy.
The pattern just keeps repeating. Saturday and Sunday, August 8th and 9th, the swell holds around 2 ft to 3 ft, with periods around 15-17 seconds, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, with moderate breezes on Saturday afternoon making it choppy. Energy is moderate (305 to 377).
The second week starts on Monday, August 10th, and it’s more of the same: small swell, poor conditions. The only real change is a slight bump in size on the Saturday morning of August 15th, where the swell reaches 4 ft from the SW with a period of 16 seconds and a strong energy of 673 (still moderate). But the wind is onshore from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’s not clean.
Later on, around Tuesday, August 18th, we see a short period windswell from the W at 3 ft with only 8 seconds of period. The energy is 288 (moderate), but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The final days, August 19th and 20th, see the swell drop back to 2 ft to 2 ft, with moderate energy and cross-onshore winds.
If you’re an expert and you’re desperate, the best bet is the early morning of Friday, August 14th or Saturday, August 15th. The swell is at its biggest (2 ft to 4 ft) with very long periods (18 seconds) coming from the SW. The energy is moderate to strong (613 to 673). The wind is onshore, so it won’t be glassy, but the groundswell will have some push. Donuts is a reef, so the long period will work in its favor, but the onshore wind will spoil the face. The crowd factor is "sometimes" there, so you might have company.
Honestly, for the whole 16 days, there’s no standout. It’s a long, bleak run. The combo of small swell and persistent onshore or cross-onshore wind means the surf quality is just no good. It’s a quiet period for the area. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the board in the car and maybe find something else to do.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat morning, min 20°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
96 | 155 | 108 | 168 | 113 | 248 | 173 | 309 | 230 | 261 | 367 | 275 | 217 | 211 | 183 | 156 | 178 | 118 | 197 | 249 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | on |
High Tide | 2:28PM1.52m | 4:11AM0.83m | 3:39PM1.57m | 6:31AM0.88m | 4:55PM1.67m | 7:39AM1.00m | 6:04PM1.80m | 8:19AM1.11m | 7:03PM1.93m | 8:53AM1.21m | 7:55PM2.03m | 9:27AM1.31m | 8:43PM2.07m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:16PM0.40m | 8:07AM0.70m | 11:53PM0.22m | 9:45AM0.82m | 1:00AM0.02m | 11:34AM0.83m | 1:51AM-0.16m | 12:50PM0.74m | 2:36AM-0.29m | 1:48PM0.62m | 3:16AM-0.35m | 2:39PM0.50m | 3:53AM-0.35m | |||||||
— | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 |
Feels °C | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
96 | 155 | 108 | 168 | 106 | 136 | 103 | 309 | 230 | 261 | 367 | 275 | 217 | 211 | 183 | 156 | 178 | 87 | 197 | 249 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | W 5 | W 5 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SSW 12 |
20 | 5 | 4 | 64 | 113 | 248 | 173 | 92 | 69 | 90 | 69 | 31 | 61 | 30 | 63 | 134 | 133 | 54 | 120 | 48 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SW 20 | W 8 | W 5 | W 4 | S 9 | S 9 | W 4 | SW 23 | WNW 4 | W 4 | W 4 | W 4 | W 8 | W 6 | WNW 10 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 13 |
6 | 6 | 60 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 118 | 57 | 45 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | — | — | 4 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 166 | 1 | 14 | 23 | 48 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Donuts Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Donuts provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Donuts can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Donuts surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Donuts) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Donuts may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Donuts is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Coronado. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Coronado. Coronado has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











