Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

Read more