Surf Forecasts:
Donuts surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 17s period, SW swell with 663 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period with SW 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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Donuts in the next 16 days are 1.1m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you about Donuts.
Right now, we’ve got a bit of a frustrating stretch ahead. The surf is small and the conditions are off pretty much the whole way through. We’re looking at a run of poor surf with only a few fleeting moments that are barely worth a mention. Donuts is a sheltered west-facing reef that needs that perfect W swell, and what we’re getting is mostly SW groundswell, which doesn’t match up too well.
The first real shot at anything comes on Tuesday the 25th of August. The morning starts clean with a light W offshore breeze, 6 mph. Swell is tiny at 2 ft from the SW with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the combined energy sits at a moderate 407. It’s a groundswell, so there’s some grunt in the water, but it's breaking too straight for a beach setup – and Donuts being a reef could actually handle that long period okay if the size was there. The afternoons only climb to 3 ft and 13 seconds, still clean but with only moderate energy (505). Honestly, it’s marginal surf. The guide says it’s a 1/10. The water temp is about average for the time of year.
By Wednesday the 26th, things get messy. The wind swings S at 12 mph, cross-shore, and the wave state goes to a moderate cross-chop. Swell height pushes up to 4 ft from the SSW at 12 seconds, energy is moderate (727), but the poor surf rating of 0 tells the real story. Thursday through the weekend is a washout: light cross-onshore winds, dropping swell, and the occasional long-period SW groundswell with no clean conditions. Combined energy dips from 563 down to 325 by Friday the 28th afternoon.
Looking at Saturday and Sunday (30th and 31st August), the wind returns to onshore, light breezes, but the surf stays in the 3 ft to 4 ft range, long periods of 14-16 seconds, all rated poor. A total blank for decent waves.
The first week of September offers no relief. The mornings see tiny 2 ft to 2 ft SW swell with onshore and cross-onshore winds, patches of moderate chop. Even when energy climbs back to 734 on Friday the 4th of September with 4 ft at 17 seconds, it’s all cross-onshore and choppy. That’s surf you’d only paddle into if you were desperate, and honestly, it looks more like a kiteboarding chop than a surfer’s wave.
The last few days from the 6th to the 9th of September are the same story: tiny ankle-to-knee-high swell, onshore winds, and poor conditions across the board.
Best call: If you’ve been jonesing, the absolute best on offer is that Tuesday the 25th of August morning. It’s not a standout by any stretch, but it’s the only time you’ve got a light offshore wind and a clean-ish surface. The 2 ft, 16-second SW groundswell (combined energy: 407) won’t get the heart racing, but at a reef like Donuts, the shape might have a little more down-the-line glide than the beach breaks. You’ll have it to yourself, crowds are only *sometimes* here, so it’s likely quiet. It’s strictly for the longboard or a funboard – too small for anything else.
Everything else in the 16-day window is poor surf. It’s a grim run. We don’t get many good shots at Revelstoke, so let’s hope the forecasts change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 17 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
222 | 216 | 286 | 591 | 503 | 486 | 350 | 308 | 229 | 192 | 169 | 165 | 663 | 581 | 567 | 532 | 424 | 350 | 297 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 9:02AM1.23m | 8:11PM1.75m | 9:22AM1.30m | 8:43PM1.78m | 9:44AM1.37m | 9:15PM1.77m | 10:07AM1.45m | 9:49PM1.71m | 10:32AM1.52m | 10:24PM1.61m | 10:58AM1.58m | 11:03PM1.45m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:50AM-0.02m | 2:10PM0.63m | 3:15AM-0.06m | 2:44PM0.54m | 3:40AM-0.06m | 3:18PM0.45m | 4:04AM-0.04m | 3:54PM0.38m | 4:28AM0.02m | 4:32PM0.33m | 4:52AM0.13m | 5:13PM0.29m | |||||||
— | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SSW 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
222 | 181 | 286 | 591 | 503 | 486 | 350 | 308 | 229 | 150 | 76 | 51 | 663 | 581 | 567 | 532 | 142 | 115 | 100 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 7 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
156 | 216 | 208 | 203 | 203 | 198 | 171 | 132 | 130 | 151 | 169 | 165 | 33 | 86 | 86 | 100 | 424 | 350 | 297 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 |
10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 123 | 21 | 192 | 144 | 109 | 33 | 21 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 26 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 48 | 226 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











