Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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