Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one to write. We're looking at the next 16 days at Donuts, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: the surf is essentially flat and messy for the entire stretch. There's no standout session, no window of clean, rideable waves. The whole forecast period is a write-off, I'm afraid.

From the 7th of August right through to the 22nd, we're stuck with weak, short-period swell. The combined energy mostly sits between 247 and 613 (moderate), but the problem is the wind. It's almost constantly cross-onshore, sometimes onshore, creating bumpy, choppy conditions. The swell height is tiny, mostly between 1 ft and 4 ft, and with a period of 13 to 20 seconds it's a long-period groundswell, but it's just too small to do anything with. The water temp is a very unusual 74°F – much warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a bit of a head-scratcher when there's nothing to ride.

You'll notice a bit of a pulse around the 15th and 16th of August, with the swell pushing 4 ft and the combined energy hitting 613, but it's still cross-onshore and choppy. The 21st and 22nd of August show a similar bump in energy (480 to 560) but again, the wind is a problem. There's a couple of mornings with offshore wind, like the 14th and 21st of August, but the swell is tiny (2 ft to 3 ft) and the wave comment says "poor surf conditions". It's a classic case of a reef that's sheltered and needs a specific direction, but the direction we're getting (SW) is not the optimum (W), and the wind is just wrecking the surface.

Honestly, for a spot that's inconsistent anyway, a blank run like this isn't that unusual. It’s a tough one. The only positive I can see is that the energy shows signs of picking up in the second week, but with the wind patterns we've got, it's a no-go for a paddle. If you're a kite surfer, the combination of cross-onshore wind and a bit of swell might look a little more interesting, but for a surfboard, don't bother. Keep an eye on the forecasts, 'cause it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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