Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with each other: for the next two weeks, Doran Beach is your only show in town, and it's going to test your patience. This isn't a run of pumping waves; it's a series of small, inconsistent windows where things might just line up. There's a big, quiet gap in the middle with nothing worth paddling out for.

Right off the bat, Sunday afternoon, August 9th, we've got a 6ft NW swell rolling in with a period of 9 seconds. The wind is cross-shore from the west at 9 mph, so there'll be some bump on the face. The wave energy sits at a moderate 799, but the call is marginal – you'll be fighting the tide and the consistency. It's not a beginner's day; that 6ft is pushing into too-big territory for those still learning.

Monday the 10th drops to 6ft, but trades that cross-onshore wind for a light breeze from the WSW. The swell direction shifts a touch to WNW, with the same 9-second period. It's still marginal, but the lighter wind means slightly cleaner conditions. If you're desperate, dawn patrol on Monday or Tuesday morning is your best bet, with 5ft to 5ft swells and light winds, though the energy is dropping off into the 400s.

Then we hit the wall. From Wednesday the 12th through to Sunday the 16th, the numbers just aren't there. We're talking 2ft to 3ft swells, some with very long periods (15-18 seconds) which will just straighten out and close out at this beach break. The wind is often directly onshore. Saturday the 15th has a brief flicker of 3ft swell at 17 seconds (energy 614), but with an onshore wind, it’s all chop and no hope. This is a solid 4-day stretch where you’re better off doing something else.

Now, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a few weeks away. The real standout – and I mean the *only* standout – is the morning of Monday, August 17th. We get a 3ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period and a *cross-offshore* wind from the WNW at a gentle 9 mph. The water temperature is about 59°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. That cross-offshore flow will groom the waves, making them clean and peeling. The energy reads a weak 407, so don't expect power, but for a small-wave board or a log, it'll be fun. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (18th and 19th) look to repeat this same clean, cross-offshore pattern with similar 3ft SW swells. The caveat here is that the swell is small, and the period is long, so it'll be a bit fat and require some work to get into.

The afternoons on those days, however, get ruined by a stiff 19 mph cross-offshore wind. That's a kite-surfing breeze, not a paddling breeze.

So, to sum it up: you've got a few marginal sessions this week, a long dry spell, and then a promising, clean run of small waves starting Monday the 17th. The cross-offshore mornings from the 17th to the 20th are the real targets. Don't get excited about the bigger 6ft to 6ft swells that show up way out on the 21st and 22nd – the wind's messy and the period is short (7 seconds), so it'll be a crumbly, onshore mess.

Keep your expectations in check, and pick your moments.

Rusty.

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