Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s look at what Doran Beach is doing for the next couple weeks.

First few days are pretty rough. On the 13th there’s a tiny 2ft swell from the SW with a long 13-second period, but the wind is blowing 16 mph from the WNW in the morning and cranking up to 25 mph in the afternoon – it’s cross-off but strong, making it messy. The wave energy is moderate at 232. The water temp is 61°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Monday the 14th brings a bump – swell hits 6ft from the WNW in the morning, but it’s short period at 9 seconds and cross-shore wind. Energy is moderate at 580. By the arvo, it’s 8ft from the WNW with an 8-second period and energy hitting 955 – that’s solid, moderate-to-strong energy, but the short period means fat, lumpy waves. That size is for experts only, and the moderate cross-off wind doesn’t clean it up enough.

Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th stay in the 5ft to 7ft range, mostly short period from the NW or WNW, with light cross-shore winds. Energy stays moderate to strong, peaking at 1028 on Wednesday morning – but the wave quality is marginal with ripples and chop.

Then Thursday the 17th is a different story. Swell drops to just 2ft from the SSW, but the period is 16 seconds – proper groundswell. And the wind? Glassy in the morning – dead calm at 3 mph from the SW. That’s clean as a whistle. Energy is moderate at 324. Small, but those long lines can be fun, though at a beach break like Doran they might just break too straight. Still, for a glassy session it’s the best in the first week. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so be early.

The rest of the first week and into the second serves up small 2ft to 2ft SW swell with long periods (17-19 seconds), but the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, and the energy is moderate, between 310 and 610. It’s all marginal.

Things try to pick up around the 21st – a 6ft NW swell on Monday arvo, but it’s 8-second period and cross-shore wind. Energy is strong at 878. Tuesday the 22nd drops to 5ft NW with a 9-second period. Nothing to write home about.

The real standout is the 23rd of September. Wednesday arvo shows a 6ft WNW swell with a 13-second period and combined energy of 1238 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is light from the SW at 6 mph, light cross-onshore, not perfect but not bad. This is the biggest, most energetic swell of the forecast, with decent period. Best bet for size and power.

The 24th through the 27th stay in the 4ft to 5ft range from the NW, with periods around 9-11 seconds and mostly light cross or cross-off winds. The 25th afternoon looks like it could be a sneaky good session with clean conditions and a gentle cross-off breeze.

Then the 28th fades fast – tiny 2ft to 2ft swells and strong winds, poor conditions. The run is done.

So, the two moments to circle are: Thursday the 17th morning for that glassy, long-period 2ft SSW swell – small but clean – and Wednesday the 23rd afternoon for the biggest, most powerful 6ft WNW swell with good period and light wind. The rest is a whole lot of average.

Keep an eye on it – Doran can surprise you.
Rusty.

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