Donuts Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.67° N 117.25° W

Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 pm 05 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Donuts sea temperature is
21.5°C
1.2° 

Donuts surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Donuts surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,189 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 11AM (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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Donuts in the next 16 days are 1.7m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11AM (Wed 9th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 16s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 10th Sep)2.5ft (0.8m) 17s
Most Powerful11PM (Sun 6th Sep)5.5ft (1.7m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Donuts over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the surf for Donuts. Gotta be straight with you from the get-go: the charts are looking pretty sad for the next couple of weeks. This is one of those stretches where you might be better off tuning up your board or chasing the wind, because the waves we’re being offered are mostly messy and weak.

The water temp is running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 71°F, so it’s not freezing out there, but that’s about the only silver lining for the first week.

The swell energy is mostly moderate, hovering between 250 and 1550 on the energy scale, so it sounds like there’s something, but the wind is just ruining any chance of it being clean. The direction is also not aligned with what this spot loves, coming from the S and SW instead of a more favorable W.

The first real option we have on the table is for Sunday morning, the 6th. There’s 6ft of SSW groundswell with a 13-second period pushing in. The energy is moderate at 1170. But here’s the rub – the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the NNW, chopping it all up. It’s a marginal call at best, and with the rip and the mess, it’s not going to be a classic. Too big and too ugly for a learner, too messy for a decent surfer.

Then things just fall off a cliff. For the rest of the first week and into the second, we’re stuck with a ton of cross-onshore and cross-shore winds, mostly from the N and NW, messing up the small, short-period swell. The energy drops down into the weak range, sometimes as low as 269 on the 12th and 282 on the 15th. There are a few glassy pockets, but they're just not backed by enough swell.

We do get a few pulses of longer period SW swell, a proper groundswell, in the second week. But those are small, the waves stay around 2ft to 3ft, which is tiny. And with that long period, it might just close out or straighten out at the beach. It's a tease.

The best of a bad bunch actually looks like Saturday the 19th. The outlook shows 5ft of W swell, with a short 8-second period, and the wind is finally forecast to be light onshore from the west. The combined energy is moderate at 637. We won’t see perfection, but that might be the only session all fortnight where you can actually get a few without battling howling cross-offshore winds. It’s still small and short-period, so not for the loggers, but it’s something.

Before that, I’d just say there's nothing worth getting excited about, it's a long dry spell with a few days of nothing at all from the 14th to the 17th. It doesn't tend to stay this poor for long around here, so forecasts will likely change, but right now, keep your expectations in the cellar.

For anyone still wanting to get wet, the winds and the small, messy conditions make this look way more interesting for kitesurfing than for paddle surfing.

Stay patient, Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue night, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.6
SSW
14
1.8
SSW
13
1.7
SSW
13
1.7
SSW
13
1.6
SSW
12
1.1
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
11
0.8
SW
13
1.1
SW
10
0.9
SSW
10
0.6
SW
16
0.7
SW
16
0.8
SW
17
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
16
0.9
SW
15
0.9
SW
15
0.8
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
989
1110
965
949
715
313
372
229
253
175
214
267
342
437
416
411
395
314
255
Wind (km/h)
15
NNW
25
NNW
25
NNW
20
NNW
20
NW
20
NW
15
NNW
20
NW
15
NNW
5
NW
5
W
15
SSW
5
SW
10
SSW
15
SSW
15
S
20
S
15
SSW
15
S
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
7:30AM1.14m
6:02PM1.74m
7:57AM1.26m
7:00PM1.85m
8:25AM1.38m
7:49PM1.91m
8:53AM1.49m
8:34PM1.91m
9:23AM1.59m
9:16PM1.83m
9:52AM1.66m
9:56PM1.71m
Low Tide
00:47AM-0.01m
12:00PM0.84m
1:34AM-0.13m
1:03PM0.67m
2:13AM-0.19m
1:52PM0.49m
2:48AM-0.20m
2:37PM0.34m
3:20AM-0.15m
3:19PM0.23m
3:49AM-0.05m
4:01PM0.16m
4:17AM0.08m
light rain
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:26
6:26
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:07
7:06
7:04
7:02
7:01
7:00
 mm
1
Temp °C
24
24
28
25
25
24
24
25
25
26
26
24
23
24
23
22
22
22
22
Feels °C
23
22
27
24
25
23
23
23
23
24
26
24
23
24
22
22
21
21
23
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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