Donuts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Donuts.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch for the reef at Donuts. We’re looking at a long, frustrating run of poor surf conditions that stretches all the way from now through the end of the forecast period. The predominant swell is a long-period (15 to 20 seconds) groundswell from the SSW and SW, which is great for pushing energy, but the wave heights are just tiny – mostly sitting between 1ft and 3ft, with only a couple of afternoons on 15 August and 21 August creeping up to a marginal 3ft to 4ft. The combined swell energy is actually moderate, ranging from 247 to 596, but that doesn't matter much when the waves are that small and the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy.

The first real sniff of anything rideable doesn't pop up until late on Saturday, 15 August afternoon. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the SW at 16 seconds, with a light cross-onshore breeze from the SW at 6 mph. The combined energy hits 596, which is the highest of the whole run, but it's still only rated as marginal. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, no major anomaly to report.

If you can get out there on a longboard and pick off the set waves, the very long period (19 seconds) means big lulls between sets, which makes paddling out easier, but also means the waves might break a little too straight for a reef. The wind is light, so it'll be cleaner than most days, but it's still a cross-onshore. Expect crowds to be possible, as it's a known spot.

After that, the pattern continues: small, messy, and mostly not worth the paddle. There's a slight uptick on the morning of 21 August – a 3ft, 16-second swell from the SSW with a calm wind – but again, it's marginal and the following afternoon is already back to poor. The final days of the 22nd see the same small, cross-onshore junk.

Look, this is a classic case of a reef that's just not getting the right window. The consistent onshore winds and lack of size make this a real struggle. For a more experienced surfer with a big board, the 15 August afternoon and maybe the 21 August morning are your only real shots, and even then, don't expect much. It's a long stretch of flattish, choppy water. Sometimes it just doesn't line up for a sheltered reef like this.

Rusty.

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